More InBetween Days
by Furor Scribendi
Summary: When V1046R Mahoro was decommissioned, she was given 398 operational days, of which 70 are accounted for. What about the rest of that time as a maid to the Misato household, those 'in-between' days? Second series; author comments follow every chapter .
1. Chapter 1 Weed Whacker

"Weed Whacker"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

June 29th

Mahoro watched as Suguru headed down the street, off to another day of school, massive bento in hand. She had heard from him that the bentos she had made for his lunch were drawing both attention and praise; attention, for the sheer size and scope as to what was given, praise as to the stunning quality of the food. Mahoro wanted to meet this Chizo, who was most complimentary with the adulation.

But that would have to wait until later; right now, there was a formidable task at hand: the garden!

It was determined the previous night, over dinner, that since the first floor of the house was in excellent condition, including the stairs, which had become a de facto library, that the second floor could hold off for a bit. Mahoro had decided to use the weekend to get the exterior of the house in shape, but today would be a preliminary overview, beginning with the lawn.

She turned back, in towards the house, and closed the gate, staring at the grass. Everything was wrong with it: patchy, brown spots here; overgrown in other areas; every shade of green imaginable and the whole expanse infiltrated with all calibers of pernicious weeds and ravenous insects.

If the gardening shed was in any condition like the closet or the kitchen, it would be a major mess. Was there even a gardening shed? Finding the vacuum cleaner was relatively easy; the lawn mower might be tougher. In fact, with her cleaning of the lower level of the house, she did not come across any equipment like that.

As she looked about the yards, examining both the garden and the layout, she did not notice any type of shed for storage. The yard was tidy in that aspect of it. As she came around the back side of the house, she noticed a door. It looked like a normal door, except it was in an odd place on the side of the house. It also has a combination lock on it.

She pondered it for a moment, and then went to the lock. It was showing the signs of being out in the elements for some time and that it may not have been opened for, possibly, years. The dial was a bit stiff, but a few minutes of working it got it rotating. She put her ear against the back side of the lock as she turned the dial. She could easily hear the tumblers click.

"12…..29……10!" She gave the lock a slight tug and it popped open. She removed it from the turn loop, opened the hasp and waited for a moment. Closets and doors around here were filled with nasty surprises. Who knew what lurked inside?

She stood to the side, slowly turning the knob, and then yanked it open. It was quiet. Peering about the door, she saw that it was a garden shed of sorts, but all it held was a spade, a gas can, a kneeling pad and a flat head rake. She could see the hooks and brackets to hold the other equipment, but nothing there. Silent sentinels, awaiting the return of the tools. She shut the door and looked about the yard. Could they be lost out there, somewhere? She scanned the yard and it took on the appearance of a wild jungle, with who knows whatever kinds of beasts were lurking in the underbrush with them?

She had heard the story of a hammer that had been left behind in a tree and the tree grew around it, but that took many, many years. She might get luckier than that. She was working on no more than four years of neglect. Wait. A gas can. Opening the door again, she picked up the can, but felt nothing. She worked the cap off then sloshed it about, but heard nothing. Still, this was a good sign.

At one time there WAS a lawn mower here, so it might be extant. Sitting on the steps of the veranda, she took note of several things. There was no sprinkler system in place, so that meant a hand watering. That would have to be done early in the morning or late in the day to cut down on evaporation. The lawn might also need some aeration, to bring both air and nutrients to the ground.

She knelt down to feel the soil and it was hard-baked. She thought as she pressed her hand about. Perhaps the lawn had not been watered at all and Suguru relied on whatever Mother Nature could muster for it. As she pondered, Guri-chan came up to her and whimpered, placing a paw upon her foot.

"Now, now, Guri-chan. I just fed you and it is a bit too early for a walk, so you will have to wait. I need to consider this lawn." She looked down at the small dog, who then wandered under the veranda to escape the gathering heat.

Mahoro continued to think. "But how would you water the lawn if there is no hose out? Find the hose, for there must be one." She got up and tracked down the spigot, where a hose was attached. She nodded. This was another good sign. As she followed the hose, it disappeared under the veranda. She pulled on it, but it appeared to be hooked on something. Her superior strength could have easily dislodged it, but it wasn't like ripping out a bus seat to clobber a hijacker. She needed more finesse and not destroy things here.

She peered underneath and thought she could make out shapes, but it was looking more and more that she would have to crawl into the area. She felt that soil. It was a bit moister than the lawn and the light through the planking gave a dappled look, but just not enough light to see as well as was needed. Without hesitation, she began her adventure.

As she wriggled through the tiny opening between the base board of the veranda and the ground, her hand came across something metal. The dirt was loose enough for her to dig and she discovered the trowel. She looked about the entire under-veranda area; dare she hope?

Staying with the hose line, she discovered the leaf rake, the fork, a pair of loppers and a claw. How did they all get down here? There were either buried in the earth or ensnarled by a ground-cover vine that ran throughout the area. Crawling along, inch by inch, she struck her head onto a pipe. Holding her head, she felt about to discover…"The lawnmower! But how did this get here?"

She lay in the cool of the darkness, trying to put together some kind of explanation to all of this. The wheels had gotten mired in the soft dirt and then it got hard, so that explained how it was stuck here. The hose was tied around the handle. To act as a reminder line? Then it was forgotten? Why shove it underneath? Was the lawnmower out but the shed already locked?

Was someone trying to help out and, when things went wrong, left it all behind? All this equipment? Mahoro pondered this thought as she dug out the wheels and freed the lawnmower, dragging it back to the opening. Once those two items were out, she made a full inspection underneath, rescuing three more tools: a short rake, an edger and the water sprinkler

Just before she came back out, she saw one more tool, but it was more of a loop than a full tool. As she resurrected it, she saw her ikebana shears. With everything laid out on the lawn, the garden door was opened and everything put into its place. A few tools were still AWOL: a branch saw, a dustpan, an aerator and a hand weeder. Commander Misato was just as precise at home as he was at work, as each tool was outlined in the place it was to go to.

After one last expedition underneath, scaring out Guri-chan in the process, Mahoro had to conclude that the items were just completely lost. The next step would to see if the mower still worked. Grabbing the gas can, he headed to the nearest petrol station. It was a walk, so Guri-chan was leashed up. Smiling as she trundled along, she felt good that she had made another step in rescuing the Haunted House from its past.

Mahoro began to feel odd, as she noticed that everyone was looking at her. Perhaps they had not seen a maid with a gas can in hand, walking down the street, tiny dog in tow. At the petrol station, she went up to the cashier. "I would like three liters of regular, please."

The cashier looked up at her. "I bet you need it for your lawn mower, as you have been working in the yard."

Mahoro was stunned. "That's right. But…..how could you tell?"

"Well, it appears that the yard has been working on you." He held up a mirror for her to see.

Mahoro blanched. Her face was smeared with dirt and her apron was now no longer white, but streaked with brown, showing where it had wrinkled up during her crawl beneath the porch. "Oh….oh, my…..I….I…" She began to go red with embarrassment.

The cashier snickered. "I wish I had a maid like you. Unafraid to get really dirty to keep my house clean." He put the mirror down and handed her a moist towelette. "Although it really won't do you much good to clean up; you'll just get dirty again."

"But I have an image to maintain. I never want to present myself in such a sloppy manner. What would people think?" Mahoro scrubbed her face, looking into the mirror to make sure she didn't miss any spots.

"They would think that you are a hard-working, dedicated maid. I think you are a hard-working, dedicated maid. That dirt is not a badge of shame, but a symbol of honor, of a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get the job done." He tapped a few buttons on his console. "Go to pump 4 and get your fuel. I do not wish to keep you any longer from your duties. Best of luck on the lawn."

Mahoro bowed. "Thank you for your words. I never thought of it that way." It didn't take long for the can to be filled and soon Mahoro was back at the yard, looking at the mower. Freed from its vine prison, Mahoro put in the fuel and primed the engine. She did five sets of 20 pumps. It had been a long time since it may have been started.

Grabbing the pull line, she gave a series of small tugs until it was at the proper catch point. Throttle opened to three-quarters, she gave a pull. It made some coughing noises, but did not turn over. She primed it some more and opened the throttle all the way. This time it sputtered, belched off a black cloud and turned over, roaring loudly.

Guri-chan fled into the protection of his dog house while Mahoro guided the mower about the lawn. She was going for a consistent look for the present, so the lawn would be shorter and bare, rather than longer and bare. Once that was done, she took the edger and really defined the border between lawn and flower bed.

The edger was an old monster, a half-moon-shaped tool face, its yellow paint all but worked off, but it still had a good slice to it and Mahoro made short work of the demarcation line. The day was getting hotter and hotter; she took a break for lunch and planned the afternoon work that lay ahead of her.

At the table, she saw an ad in the paper. The Hiryu Convention Center was having a Flower and Garden Show. A variety of lawn care folks would be there. She went over to the sliding glass door to peer out at the miasma that was the back lawn, then went to the front door and looked over the walkway. She certainly could use some degree of guidance in this area.

She knew that Commander Misato liked things neat and he even kept a little garden at the Vesper outpost. He certainly would not want thing to fall into disarray. This would be the plan of action for the afternoon: she would rake out the areas in the flower beds, removing the detritus and any potential weeds there. That would be followed with light dead-heading, as she now had the shears for that. Depending on what time she finished would decide if more could be done this day.

With lunch finished, she began the assault on the front yard. She would start at the side of the house and work along that to the fence, seeing how far it would take her. That meant beginning at the hydrangeas. They were in profuse abundance, so she had to take care not to damage them. As she raked, a lot of material came out, so she left piles to be picked up later.

She did not know how far back the hydrangeas went, so she gently squeezed through one clump to get to the fence. As she pushed them aside and got to the wall, she came upon a discovery: leaning up against the back fence was the aerator and a garden bag to put the clippings into.

She got down on all fours to really examine everything and found the dustpan, stuffed under the base of a plant. It was an all-metal pan, so it was in good condition, although it was a bit banged up. "Look out, clippings! I am ready to do battle!" She held the pan aloft, as if it were some kind of tremendous weapon and the weeds would flee in fear.

The tools were rescued and placed on the lawn, and then she went back in to rake the dirt clean. She got to the tree in the corner of the yard and noticed a small step ladder at well. It was at the base of the tree, opened up, so someone could have….

She got up on the ladder and peered towards the tree. Could it be the hammer story all over again? She then climbed into the tree to look about. She was now high enough to be seen from the street, over the wall. Some pedestrians stared over at her as they passed by. A dirt-covered maid, clambering about, in a tree? How absurd.

As Mahoro scanned, she discovered what she hoped for: the branch saw. It was closed up, so it was hanging on a branch stump from its leather loop. She opened it up. It would need a good de-rusting to get back to its fighting form, but she was slowly finding everything.

As the afternoon wore on, the yard was starting to take shape. There was still a great deal of work to do, as the lawn needed the most work of all and that would take a couple of months to rectify, but the early results were good.

With all the clippings now in the bag, she grabbed the aerator and went to work. It was a nasty-looking piece of equipment, with four spikes in a straight line. It would go down about four inches, to give enough penetration and make the soil more manageable. It looked more like a demented pogo stick, owing more to the size, but it would really help

She decided to aerate first and then water. She started at one side of the house and tried the place-and-step-on approach, but that seemed a bit slow. She wondered if she could do this more efficiently. She treated the aerator like it really was a pogo stick, jumping up and down with it across the lawn. People passing by the gate peered in to see a maid bounding all about, concentrating on doing the job well.

Her skirt went flapping with the force of exertion as she went hither and thither across the yard. Once everything was properly plugged, she started the sprinkler, watching it oscillate. Normally, it would have been too hot to run it, as she would lose a lot of moisture in the heat, but she wanted to take advantage of the new holes in the lawn to help things along.

While it worked about, Mahoro began to tidy up Guri-chan's house. At the very least, it needed a wipe-down and a clipping of the grass thickets about the sides of his place. She did nothing about the inside, though. After all, it was a dog house and Guri-chan had it just the way he wanted it. As Mahoro set up the sprinkler in spot after spot, she attended to other chores.

She worked on cleaning up the lawnmower, so it looked less forlorn. The tools were spruced up, so at least the rust was held at bay. She had discovered a small bottle of conditioning oil and that helped with all the hinge and lever items, so they moved smoother and with no ear-cringing squeaking. Some of them sounded like the proverbial old gate opening up, loud and piercing.

The clippings bag was dumped and the garden shed had all the tools replaced where they needed to be. Even the lawnmower was placed inside. Everything was back where it belonged, save for the weeder. That tool was completely lost, and she had investigated the entire lawn, front and back. When she set up the sprinkler at the last spot, she saw it was time for her to get ready for Suguru's return. But there was still so much to be done!

Heading into the house, she went upstairs to change out of her soiled outfit and send that through the wash. Then she washed her hands and face again and began to prepare for the after-school snack for him as well as getting dinner done. As with most things around the Misato household, it just took more time than she had anticipated. She looked out at the lawn and did notice a change. It almost appeared that the garden was happy for what had been done to it. Was the grass a bit greener? Were the hydrangeas standing a smudge taller? Did the tree look a touch fuller in its canopy?

She went out to turn off the sprinkler and coil up the hose. There was no place to hang it on the house, nor was their any kind of hose reel. That would need to be attended to, but not now. The hose was disconnected and placed under the spigot, sprinkler atop the pile.

Mahoro continued to prepare things, but then she looked at the clock. Suguru was running late. Could there be a problem at school? She went to the front door and opened it to see Suguru just standing there at the gate, his bag and bento at his feet, in stunned appreciation, as he gazed upon the yard.

Mahoro came out to him. "Are you all right, Suguru?"

"What did you do to the yard?" The words came out slowly as his head rotated from right to left and back again.

"Is there a problem, Suguru?" Mahoro was nervous. Did she overstep her boundaries again?

"It looks amazing. You did all this in one day? Imagine what you could do in a week!"

Mahoro perked up. "Yes, yes. That is something that I need to discuss with you over dinner. So, come inside. It may be too hot for you out here." She noticed that Suguru was staring at her. "Is there something wrong?"

"Do you have….dirt on your face?"

Mahoro panicked. "NO! NO! Not at all. What kind of maid would I be if I looked like I was dragged through the mud and the muck? That is not the kind of impression that one should ever leave. It just must be some shadows over my face. Here! Let's get you inside the house for a nice glass of iced tea!"

Mahoro practically shoved Suguru ahead of her, mortified that she was not fully cleaned up for him. How could she have missed any spot? Suguru smiled as they escaped into much cooler environment of the house.

When all was quiet, Guri-chan came out from beneath the veranda and made his way to his dog house. Even he could see that it looked a lot better. Giving out an appreciative yip, he hid inside. Away from the withering glare of the relentless sun, he went for his favorite chew toy. As the heat of the day faded into the cool of the evening, he gnawed happily on the well-bitten handle of the weeder.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 386 DAYS**

End Notes

A lot has been made as to what Mahoro did inside the house and passing comments as to how nice the outside looks, but not much beyond that. In Season One, Episode Four, she comments that she cannot go to the beach because "…the weeds grow as fast as I can pull them."

So, what does she do with the garden? In the manga, both in the very first chapter and, again, in the very last chapter, we observe that the hydrangeas appear to care for themselves, but the lawn takes it on the chin both times.

Now, I will be honest on this, but I have never seen a garage in ANY amine or manga that I have read. Storage sheds, sure, but never a real garage. (I could be reading or seeing the wrong shows) I know they must (should?) have them, but since I haven't even noticed a driveway anywhere, perhaps cars are parked elsewhere or many do not have a car. (No car? Really? I find that truly hard to swallow.)

In the US, few of us have a storage shed, but we have a garage to store lawn equipment. I did know of a house with a kind of outside door as described here, but it always smelled mildewy inside.

The hammer story was "borrowed" from an episode of "CSI". Whether or not it is true doesn't matter, as it is a great tale.

I wanted to have Mahoro attempt to spilt the time between the first floor work and the second floor work, as Suguru is a couple of days away from Mahoro doing the second floor and discovering Riho and her friends under Suguru's bed. Also, the "investigation" is about a week away as well, so it's getting busy in her life.

As we see, her plans are not going to adhere to anything that looks like a schedule. There would still be sufficient time for her to at least get the lawn and garden work started. If it is not fully completed, she can decide to move back to the house and the second floor.

I also have the "next" chapter of this Second Season, which is a kind of partner piece to this one, so a lot of comments must be kept hidden at this time.


	2. Chapter 2 Heart and Hearth

"Heart and Hearth"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

July 1st

The Hiryu Convention Center was really a kind of multi-purpose auditorium, flexible enough to accommodate the needs of whatever came to town. From anime expos to concerts to lectures, it was able to handle a lot.

This weekend, the event happened to be a home and garden show. Mahoro dragged a rather reluctant Surugu with her as they headed downtown. It was a brilliantly clear day and though the cicadas were chirping away, it was not broiling hot. Much of the heat was kept at bay with a prevailing breeze that came off the ocean and across the town

"But…but…" sputtered Suguru. "I mean, gardening is just so boring and it's such a lovely day out. There is so much more that could be done."

"And that is what we are doing. A home is more than a place to live, but a showcase for the neighborhood. You don't want to live in a 'haunted house', do you? I just need some ideas to make this house a location that people want to come to and not so they can point fingers while they make snickering noises. That is part of the agreement you gave to me a week ago. You left the care and feeding of the house to me." Mahoro was firm, but understanding.

Suguru sagged. Yes, she was right on that point. He hadn't done anything with the house for four years and it was looking shabby around the edges. It was equally embarrassing when she found the gardening tools underneath the veranda, overgrown with weeds. "But…these shows are just places for people to try and sell you things you don't really need. What good is it for me to have a teak Adirondack or an 80,000 yen futon?"

"Yes, that can happen, but if you have a good idea as to what you want to accomplish, you won't be taken in by anyone. Remember, we are after ideas and guidance. You did agree to do this two days ago over dinner." Yes, she was right on that point as well.

The center was a hive of activity, as people had turned out in good numbers. Mahoro stood in line for the ticket booth. "Let's see, 1800 yen for me and 1200 for you." She plunked down her money and was given her tickets and two credit cards. The booth person spoke as she passed everything over.

"As soon as you get into the building, there are some touch screen monitors. Insert the card into the slot and you can win a variety of prizes." They went up to the ticket taker, who took the tickets and gave them a paper, which was a map of the buildings and a schedule of events.

As they stepped in, a rather perky lady, dressed like a gigantic flower, came up to them and bowed. "Thank you for attending the Home and Garden Show. Here is an all-purpose bag, good for taking home your grocery or filling with clippings from the yard. And it is a place to put all the goodies you may accumulate while you are here." She gave them both a square-bottomed bag, plastered with logos from all the sponsors of the show. "You have your cards? Good, the display kiosks are over there. Try and win a trip to Hawai'i!"

They found a pair of open machines. The cards went in and they were asked a variety of questions for a survey. A plethora of coupons were spat out at them as they answered away. At the end, they sat on a bench to see what they had.

"Hmmm," commented Mahoro. "This coupon is good for a free shell lei at the Hawaiian Gardens display. Some seed sticks at Lawn Care Managers. 30,000 yen off a vacation when you book through All World Vacations. A free tomato plant at the Compost Center and a free tote bag at the Eco-Car display. This should make for an interesting time."

Mahoro put the coupons in her bag and looked at the map of the center. The show was spread out over two buildings and two tents, but there were items between the buildings. A lot of areas needed to get covered. She started to plan out her point of attack, running her finger over the map and looking around for landmarks of some type.

As she scanned about, she came across a line of people. Curious as to what was going on, she went over, Suguru scrambling after her. This booth was for a pool company, promoting their latest line of cleaning-related products. "This will keep your pool clean, and without that horrible chlorine problem. No smell, no problems, no mess, no kidding." The person speaking was dressed in a blazing yellow swim suit, with a rubber duck head inner tube about his middle and sporting a snorkel set.

People were trying to get a small basketball into a smaller hoop on a children's play set. No one was doing particularly well as the ball went everywhere but in. Suguru tried and he fell short of the mark. "I think this thing is rigged," he whispered to Mahoro. Mahoro put down her bag, gazed at the net, took the ball and sent it right through.

"Whoa! Nothing but net and the little lady wins a prize!" One of the booth workers called it out as the other gave her the reward. She was given a rubber duck. "For floating in the bathtub or the pool." She put it into her bag.

Another line of people were at a wheel, where more prizes were given out. Suguru saw what they were giving away. "Hmm. T-shirts, commuter coffee mugs, a flashlight, an antenna ball, light bulbs, a pencil. Just what I want, a pencil." One box on the wheel was marked 'Special'.

"What happens if you get the special box?" Suguru asked, before he spun.

"Well, you have to get that special box three times in a row and then, you get something special." The booth worker was being rather cagy on that point.

Suguru spun and won…. "Well, at least it wasn't a pencil. But it was a pen. But it does light up." Suguru clicked the button to show it going through a range of colors.

Mahoro spun and got the special box. She spun again and got it again. "Well, a lot of people have gotten this far but none made the final turn," chided the booth worker. Mahoro made the final spin and the clacker waggled upon the spokes. Everyone was watching with great intensity, hanging on each click the wheel made. It looked like Mahoro would end up with a flashlight, when a final drop of gravity pushed her into Special.

"We have a winner! Dingdingdingdingding!" Everyone cheered as the man went under the draped table and brought out what looked to be a suitcase. There was some buzzing, as a few thought they knew what it was. He opened it up and presented it like it was a magnificent treasure. Everyone crowded around to gawk at it.

"This is the finest barbecue set around. Stainless steel 18/8! You get an extra wide spatula, tongs, a three-prong fork, a small basting brush, a temperature fork, a long knife, a wire brush/scraper, four skewers and eight corn holders, all with hardwood handles. And a coupon to mail in for a free replacement scraper! Congratulations!"

Mahoro bowed as she accepted the gift. Suddenly, she was going to all of these little tests of ability that the booths offered. She sank a putt from 20 feet out to get a pair of garden speakers that looked like rocks and a free sample of fake lawn. She was able to extend a measuring tape upwards 30 feet and magnetically latch it to the ductwork overhead, but not have the tape fall over and won a laser level for her success. She tossed four bean bags through a tiny hole to get a choice of any piece of hand-held gardening equipment they were offering, opting for the uproot weeder. She answered a question about light bulbs the fastest and received a spiral light bulb.

And the t-shirts. Lots of t-shirts. She won a blue one from an energy drink, a white one from a water purification system, a scented one from the room freshener display, one extolling liquid nails, another from a chain saw company and a bright green one from a sod business.

One contest was a bit of a workout. If you were able to correctly guess how many ladybugs were in the container, you received a free professional consultation on how to make your lawn and garden better, a 25,000 yen value. Mahoro rubbed her chin as she stared at the container.

"Oh, Mahoro, I don't think you can get this one. That is a lot of ladybugs," commented Suguru, compressing under the weight of all their gifts. Both of their bags were stuffed with stress balls shaped like apples, seed packets for purple carrots, plant food tubes, pest control spikes, sticky note pads and lots of candy treats.

Mahoro moved closer and placed her ear against the container. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then wrote down her suggestion on the entry form. She slipped it into a giant fishbowl as they went to a painting demonstration.

"How good of a guess did you make?" asked Suguru.

"Plus or minus two ladybugs. They had 2046 in there. I could hear them scratching about." Suguru's gaped. "Besides, I really could use that free consultation. The lawn is in need of something and there may be an infestation in the hydrangeas. Plus a good check-up of the trees and I would be able to make some real work of the garden. Summer is upon us and I know you would like to entertain on the veranda. No one wants to see icky snails and slimy slugs."

They took advantage of the Do-It-Yourself show to take a break and rest their feet. Even as an android, she could still feel fatigue of some nature. Suguru kicked off his shoes and rubbed his toes. He hadn't done this much walking in a long while.

The person on stage was showing the ins and outs of faux finishes and making it work for you. Mahoro was amazed as to how he took ordinary pine and changed it to look like marble, like granite, like steel. She also saw him take that same plank of wood and transform it to appear to be another kind of wood.

This isn't that hard to do, she thought, as the pine sample turned into quarter-sawn oak. Too bad I really don't have a need to do something like that. When the show ended, Suguru spoke up. "I am really hungry. Could we eat? Please?"

"Yes, that is a marvelous idea, as we still have the other building to view." Suguru whimpered as he picked up the bags and headed outside. In between the buildings, the food stands were set up. Mahoro decided on the yakisoba for the two of them. As they sat down, they saw a booth where one person was pouring small sips of tea.

"Yummi Tea Company." Mahoro went up to check it out. A large man was filling sample cup after sample cup from his pump-action carafes. "This is the finest tea in the world. Yummi's vision is to inspire well-being of mind, body and spirit through the simple art of tea, which elevates the tea experience through quality, creativity, and authenticity."

Mahoro had a small taste. "This white hibiscus is stunning. So light and flavorful, I can see this as both a hot tea and an iced tea."

The man tapped a box behind him. "This is a sampler of all our teas. I will give it to you if you can tell me about the different kinds of tea plants there are." He smiled broadly.

Mahoro spoke. "Tea comes from a single plant, the _Camellia sinensis_. From this one seed, grows over 3,000 types of tea. What is picked are the top two leaves and bud of this evergreen bush. After the leaves are plucked, they are left to wither and oxidize and undergo meticulous processing. This leads to four main types of tea: White, Green, Oolong and Black. Puerh, one kind you have here, is picked from old wild tea trees."

The man's jaw dropped, as he fully expected Mahoro not to reply with much of anything. He handed her the sampler box. "A deal's a deal. But I am amazed that you know so much about teas."

"I take great pride in putting out a marvelous meal and tea is a vital component in that. If you do not know what you are doing, you are just running hot water over cold leaves, without a thought to the enjoyment of the tea." She bowed to the man. "Thank you for this."

She returned to see Suguru, noodles hanging from his mouth. "That was amazing! I didn't know all of that about tea," he mumbled out. With their lunch finished, they proceeded into the second building.

Mahoro was overwhelmed when they stepped inside. This building had been converted over to show a variety of garden expressions. Little display homes were everywhere, with a particular style or approach. The first one they saw was a koi garden, complete with a working koi pond and real koi swimming about. A deer scare delicately resounded as the water gurgled about.

The garden itself had bamboo plants about and ground cover to transform it from an auditorium to a mountain hillside. A mockup of a classic Japanese house was in the back of the set up, but people walked on the flagstone-and-pea gravel pathway. The path had lighting that looked more like paper lanterns, giving a soothing, subdued aura to it. Numerous signs were up as to who put the display together and all the companies that helped assemble this one.

"This is really nice," whispered Suguru, as though he did not wish to disturb anyone or anything, the stones crunching under his feet.

"I am going to work with what I have, but this one is magnificent," responded Mahoro.

Another was a Santa Fe theme, with an enormous barbecue wall that arced about. It had a gigantic pergola with honeysuckle intertwined through the rafters. "You would need an enormous house to be able to put this in the back," commented Suguru.

"And like to host a lot of big parties all the time. It's a bit much for us," completed Mahoro, as they went to the Eco-House. This one had a lawn on the roof and gave a 'natural' look to it, so it appeared to be wild and unkempt.

"It looks more like the gardener gave up and moved to Okinawa," mused Suguru. Other displays included a stone-wall fence with a moon arch; a modern house with hard angles and equally hard plants; another made from recycled material so it seemed more like the junk yard, ("A rather creative use of the back part of a car," noted Mahoro); a drought-resistant approach, which was funny, as it sat jowl-and-cheek with a house that had waterfalls and rivers as part of its presentation.

As Mahoro came around one display, she saw what she wanted. It was closer to her yard in style and approach; a real, normal, regular yard. The hydrangeas were in bloom and there was a small porch with some chaise lounges on it. Mahoro peered intently at things. This is what she wanted to accomplish with the garden part of it, but she was reluctant to think about digging up the yard to install a drip system.

She also needed to know how to care for the plants better. She knew that she might have to sacrifice a plant or two and allow the others to grow out fuller and thicker, but she needed to know which ones to cull. There is nothing worse than having a great gaping hole as you wait for the plants to fill it in, owing to an errant decision.

And what would be the best way to tend to the soil? Compost? Rake it bare and put in the plant spikes? Allow the leaves to do as they seemed fit? She only had one real shot at this, so she wanted it to go right.

Despite the bedraggled nature of the yard at home, she would need a major catastrophe to excavate the yard as well. Sure, if the lawn was fully dead or lots of bald spots, that would not be a problem, but the lawn could still be saved as it was. Mahoro sat on a nearby bench and pondered her options.

All the people she had spoken to had given her good advice. When she got the seed spikes, she received excellent information about the lawn and how to make it both green and hearty. The tree folks suggested having someone come out to look at the health of the trees, as a stressed tree doesn't always show that it is in trouble until it is too late.

So lost was she in thought that she did not feel Suguru prodding her. "We have a couple of minutes before they pull the winning ticket for the Power Tool drawing!" They scampered back to the other building, to where a knot of people stood about the booth. A rather provocative woman, wearing a very skimpy pair of blue shorts and brandishing a drill flirted around. A man in a dark blue work shirt grabbed the mic.

"OK, everyone get your tickets out. We are going to read off the number for the power drill, the power saw and the recharger unit for both. The winning number is 8…4…1…0…" Mahoro stared at her ticket. Suguru stared at his. However, the first four numbers on all the tickets were 8410. The man continued. "…7…" Mahoro and Suguru both had sevens. Suguru's glasses fogged over from the anticipation.

"The next number is…..5!"

"I have a five, Mahoro! 841075 and one more. One more number and…." Mahoro didn't want to say anything, but she was also in the running for this prize.

"And the last number is…is…is…I can't make it out!" Everyone shouted and booed and hooted. He continued. "Wait. I may have it upside down!" He tried to stand on his head to read the ticket and the crowd laughed at him.

"Do you want the last number?"

"YES!"

He stuck a finger in his ear to clean it out. "I said, do you want the last number?"

"YES!" The roar shook the rafters.

"Very well. The full number is 8 4 1 0 7 5…..are you sure you want the last number?" Pieces of candy were thrown at him in mock indignation. "8 4 1 0 7 5….9!"

Right behind Suguru and Mahoro, a man began to jump up and down, shrieking and hollering, waving around his ticket. "Hmmmm. I guess we have a winner," remarked the booth man. "So, come on over!"

He pushed past the two of them as a path was cleared to the booth. Suguru looked at his ticket. "My last number was a six."

"I had a five," offered up Mahoro. Actually, she was a bit glad she hadn't won. What would she ever do with tools like that? As the crowd broke up, they headed along to the plumbing section.

Once there, they saw a man standing in front of a wall with a hole cut out on it, about big enough to put your head and shoulders through. He was wearing overall and a hat, but the fabric looked odd.

"Folks, never have to worry about working in the garden and getting soaked or messing your clothes EVER AGAIN! DDG Enterprises presents Suuuuuuuuper Duck, the finest in garden clothing."

The man stared right at Suguru. "I could use a person from the audience for a demonstration, who is YOU!" Pointing at him, Suguru's eyes bugged out. "Let's give our victim…I mean, helper, a big hand!" Everyone applauded as Suguru was brought onto the stage. A neck-and shoulder garment was attached about him and a hat placed firmly on his head.

"I will show you the power of…..Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck!" The crowd roared as the man really worked them. Two assistants came out and led Suguru to the back of the wall. He was placed through the snug hole. What the audience could not see is that Suguru was locked into place to prevent him from backing out. He looked at the crowd apprehensively.

He did not like being the center of attention; it just made him nervous. The man continued to talk as he paced about.

"What makes Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck so suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper is how it repels. It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water!" Out of nowhere, one of assistants handed him a bucket. Before anyone could react, the man heaved the contents of the bucket at Suguru, but it was confetti. The man looked upset as he handed the now empty bucket back.

He straightened an imaginary tie and launched into his spiel again. "It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water!" Another bucket was given to him and it was flung at Suguru, covering him with….popcorn.

The man rubbed his forehead in mock frustration. Then he spoke in a flat monotone. "It repels dirt, it repels mud and most importantly, it repels water." A third bucket appeared and this was flung with full force, but it WAS filled with water and Suguru got absolutely drenched. The crowd reacted, none louder than Mahoro, as water sprayed everywhere.

While Suguru sputtered and gasped for air, he was released and brought around to the stage. The man presented him to the crowd "Now look. Every place that was exposed is wet." He wiped his finger across Suguru's glasses as he spoke. "But everything covered up by Suuuuuuuuuuper Duck is…" The neck piece was removed to show not a single drop penetrated. "…dry!" The hat came off to show the stark line between wet and dry on his head. "Dry!"

The assistant came out with a full martini glass, which the man drained. He smacked his lips. "Dry! Shaken, not stirred." He took the neck piece and showed it to Mahoro. "Please feel that for me. What can you tell me about it?"

Mahoro felt the fabric. "It's….it's dry! But you got him soaking wet." Mahoro worked the fabric, but it was bone dry.

Suguru was toweling off his face. "I know! I know!" The crowd laughed

The man finished up his spiel. "You can laugh at the rain and the water. Ho, ho, ho! Because you have…..Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck!" The audience broke into applause when he was done. "And let's have a round of applause for our wet visual aid here. For him being such a good sport, we have a Suuuuuuuuuuuper Duck work shirt!"

The assistant paraded around the shirt for all to see. Suguru and the other assistant went back stage as people crowded around to get their Super Duck items. The man bent down to Mahoro. "You need to come backstage as well, for a little gift for you."

The walk home from the convention center was pleasant, as the cool of the evening was embracing the town. Suguru was squishing about. "I sure wish I had some Super Duck boots. My feet are going to be wrinkled."

Mahoro smiled as she carried all of the bags with all of their goodies from the show. She now had a Super Duck garden bag, her gift from the demonstration, but, more important, lots and lots of information to get the yards back into shape. Her mind was awhirl with all kinds of plans, envisioning what the garden could become.

"What would you like for dinner tonight?" asked Mahoro.

"How about some……Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Duck?"

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 384 DAYS**

End Notes

OK, I was trying to figure out what things Mahoro could do, especially in the early days, and I felt that a Home and Garden show might just be the thing for her. Also, she could see all the possibilities and take advantage of some of the "events" they have.

For me, this is a confluence of the San Francisco Flower Show and the Orchard Supply Hardware Home and Garden Show. Since I have used the mythical Hiryu Convention Center for other things (although in the timeline of things, this would be the "first" usage of it), it just makes sense to put it there.

Oh, the "18/8 stainless steel". That is 300 series stainless steel having approximately (not exactly) 18% chromium and 8% nickel. The term "18-8" is used interchangeably to characterize fittings made of 302, 302HQ, 303, 304, 305, 384, XM7, and other variables of these grades with close chemical compositions. There is little overall difference in corrosion resistance among the "18-8" types, but slight differences in chemical composition do make certain grades more resistant than others do against particular chemicals or atmospheres. "18-8" has superior corrosion resistance to 400 series stainless. (Now you can impress people at parties with this mindless minutiae!)

I also realize that I am putting a real American approach to things and am wholly uncertain if they would even do something like this in Japan, with all the grandstanding and demonstrative demonstrations that were put forth. And speaking of American, let us address the barbecue. I know that I have never really seen a BBQ at the Misato household, but I cannot believe they do not have a hibachi (or, as far as they are concerned, the shichirin) or a mushikamado (kamado) pot.

I didn't want this to be a 'date', but I also have to start building the affection that they have for one another. This is more than the maid and her master or an "onee-chan" (an older sister), but, especially in the latter stages of the manga, they come to realize that they really do love each other in a deep and respectful way, it has to start somewhere.

One wonders what would have happened is the inevitable would have been altered to another course of action or fate. How DO you have a romance with an android? (Quiet, I know others have explored this avenue), but I mean more with Suguru and Mahoro (Quiet, I know this has been explored on this website as well).

The "Yummi Tea Company" is based off of Numi Tea.

"Duck" is a rather odd term to use when you are talking about cloth canvas. I mean, we don't speak of Moose pants or an Albatross shirt, so, why a duck? (And there will be NO mention of any Marx Brothers routines, OK?)

It actually comes from the Dutch word "doek", which means "linen canvas", but since people don't listen too well, we have "duck". There are 12 grades of numbered duck, with #1 being the heaviest grade (that is for sandbags) and 12 being the lightest (filter cloths).


	3. Chapter 3 Lord Annihilator

"Lord Annihilator"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

July 14th

It had taken a bit of coaxing from Suguru, but he had managed to bring Mahoro out during the day to go to the movies. There was nothing much else to do on a Saturday afternoon, despite Mahoro's protests that even a momentary lapse of diligence would allow the house to be consumed, again, by pernicious weeds, but the matinee prices could be taken advantage of.

They stood in line with other people, as this was a big deal film.

"I cannot believe you have never heard of 'Lord Annihilator', just the greatest film ever made," remarked Suguru, trying to shield himself from the hot July sun.

"I didn't say that. I said I was aware of it, but I had never seen it." Mahoro stood patiently, ticket in hand, awaiting for the time they would all be let in. She was thinking. Back at the Vesper Base, everyone had a movie library. Commander Daimon and Sub-Commander Gunji had the most films of anyone, but everyone had their own selections.

Each rack, or racks, was their personal library, plus the Top Shelf. These were their favorite films. She remembered that almost everyone had 'Lord Annihilator' on their Top Shelf. The only one who didn't was Professor Hokaze. His Top Shelf was filled with romance movies.

Around her, people were chattering away, commenting about the classic scenes and spouting off dialogue. One rather heavy-set man was sporting a black t-shirt. It showed Lord Annihilator, a warrior android that looked like a robot, his right arm extended outward and a glowing ball of energy about his hand. Beneath him was the phrase, "I know your weaknesses and for that you must be punished!"

A few folks were dressed up in just the headwear. The full suit was rather cumbersome and did not make for a fun time of enjoying the film. And one would have to be crazy to wear it in the blazing sun. In the lobby of the theater was a huge cardboard cutout of Lord Annihilator, a series of lights showing the Power Blast extending from his hand and a cluster of explosion noises when the beam hit its target.

"This really is my favorite film," said Suguru. "I used to watch it with my father: sitting on the couch, eating snacks, seeing things exploding into so much cosmic dust. It was neato!"

They started to file in. The theatre was one of those multiplex monsters, with this one having 14 theaters. Four of them were given over to the Lord Annihilator film, so you didn't have to wait more than 30 minutes to catch the next showing. Numerous ushers, dressed in Support Forces garb, were about, to prevent theater hoppers. Tickets were examined and if someone was out of place, they were out of the place. Their particular theatre was down a grand flight of stairs and around the corner.

While a lot of people stopped at the concession stand to load up on treats, Suguru and Mahoro hurried to the theater to get their seats first. Mahoro watched as Suguru scampered about the filling theater, to get just the perfect location. When he made his decision, he signaled Mahoro up.

The seats were very nice: oversized rockers. "I wouldn't mind having a chair like this at home," quipped Suguru as he rocked about, then faked out falling asleep, snoring comically. "Now, what makes this version the best is not only added footage that was initially cut out, but enhanced special effects. This is gonna be swell!"

The people talking inside were about as loud as the cicadas chirping outside. Mahoro wondered what she may have missed all these years. When the theater lights began to dim, a great cheer went up amid shouts of "The movie's starting!"

Well, not really starting, as a near endless amount of trailers were shown. "Why do they call them trailers when they come before the film?" groused Suguru, impatiently tapping his foot.

One trailer was for a film where everyone was getting slammed around in near-endless fighting, "Fists of Finality". Then came a romance film, "Eternal Love". This one was about two lovers, fated to be in love, but equally fated to chase each other throughout all of time. But the last trailer didn't look proper.

It was an overly prissy man, dressed like an English fop. The voice-over intoned, "Nigel Stenorian, eight-time Academy Award winner, perhaps the greatest actor of this lifetime or any lifetime, gives the performance of his lifetime as…..Harry Mabs…Junior!"

He was working over some machinery, fiddling with an electronic circuit. Although his clothes were greasy, when he looked up, one could see his stunning good looks. "It cannot be done," he intoned, fixing his jaw in resolute defeat. "It cannot be….NO!" He put up his hands to protect himself as he was hit with a beam of light, screaming in agony before he was evaporated.

There was a moment of silence and a black screen, and then the credits exploded in massive letters, "Lord Annihilator." The theatre went berserk. Popcorn was flung all about, people whistled and stamped their feet as a few members sang along with the opening theme. Mahoro was unprepared for the reaction of the audience.

When the credits ended, the screen showed space and a light buzzing could be heard. A tilt down produced an image of Earth, blue and serene, in the velvet of the night. A rumbling was heard as a giant ship came into view, taking forever to pass overhead. The sound made it appear like it was really that close.

Some people ducked down in their seats, afraid that the bottom of the ship might scrape the top of their heads, as it passed over them. When the rear of the ship could finally be seen, it came to a halt. A series of doors opened along the side of it and it ejected a wave of pods into the atmosphere.

Mahoro gasped. Those looked exactly like Saint Descent Pods, containing their android warriors. The pods smashed into a Japanese city, causing devastation. The narrator began. "In the early 1980s, emissaries from outer space began an assault of the residents of Earth, a species known as…human. They landed first in Kyoto…"

Mahoro was pole-axed. The very first Saint invasion was in Kyoto! She leaned over to Suguru. "When was this film made?"

"1977, so this is the 20th anniversary of it." Suguru gave the answer out of the corner of his mouth, as his eyes were riveted on the screen. The pods landed in Kyoto and the aliens emerged, the music as unsettling as what was on the screen.

Mahoro sat in overwhelmed silence. The androids were identical to the ones she had first destroyed when she was created. They were called Saint 82s, as that was the year they were initially deployed. Large, menacing and looking like old-fashioned robots, they struck fear into people, as they were particularly vicious. Mahoro almost reacted, getting ready to charge up her Shining Darkness, when she reminded herself it was just a movie. It was a struggle to take herself out of combat mode

The Earth forces mounted an offensive, holding the androids at bay. It appeared that a victory for the military was at hand. Then, came the arrival of Lord Annihilator.

Landing in the middle of the frenzy, armor gleaming amid the smoke and rubble, he held out his right arm, power charging up. Just as he spoke, the entire audience chimed in. "I know your weaknesses, and for that, you must be punished!" The Power Blast lashed out and obliterated whole parts of the city and populace.

Mahoro flinched. But that DID happen in Kyoto. Thousands died in what was billed as exploding gas mains. Who was this person who made this film? Is that why it was on everyone's Top Shelf? What was going on?

As the destruction faded away, a shot of a rather imposing building was seen, with the legend beneath it, "Matin Headquarters". This was getting more and more weird. The interior shot was a huge room, with a giant screen at one end and a semi-circular table in front of it, with military types about it. The screen showed a giant stylized mosquito and a voice could be heard coming from it.

"What do we know of this group?" One never saw the face of the person in charge, just their voice.

One of the generals stood up. "They call themselves 'Hagio', but from what we can see, their agenda is crystal clear: world domination!" The picture on the screen was replaced with a map of Japan, several areas in red. "As you can see, they have hit us, but their attack pattern is odd. Tokyo has been spared, but many of the outlying districts have been destroyed."

Another general stood up. "The biggest concern is panic from the populace. If we cannot maintain order, we will be paralyzed to fight. It is critical to mask as much as possible what is going on."

The screen spoke. "But can we fight them? Can we fight them and win?"

A scientist type stood up. "From what we have managed to obtain from their damaged and downed androids, they are not all that technically advanced and we could conceivably create our own android force. But the big problem is their 'leader', this Lord Annihilator."

The screen showed the Lord, laying waste to blocks of buildings as the scientist type spoke in a voice-over. "It's not going to do any good to destroy the shock forces if we cannot destroy the mind behind it all. We could very well be seeing……the end of all humanity!"

Mahoro's mouth dropped open. She remembered this caliber of conversation with the Vesper staff when she had been constructed.

The scientist continued. "Our hopes lie with this android prototype we have been working on for some time. We believe if we can incorporate some of this 'alien technology', we could hold our own and perhaps even turn the tide."

The Wall intoned. "How much time do you need?"

The scientist sagged. "That's the problem. We need a lot of time and that may be the one commodity that is in short supply. In the meantime, we have forces that we can put into place to at least prevent immediate and overwhelming defeat, but I am afraid that something of this nature cannot be contained."

A woman then stood up to speak next. Mahoro shuddered. It WAS Eimi Shiina. No, it couldn't be, but it was a clone or a copy or something else. "We have it on good authority that the world leaders are in discussion on this matter and that they all pledge both mutual support as well as complete cooperation from the media to keep this under wraps. No one wants worldwide panic."

The voice intoned from the screen. "My concern is this combat warrior android. Do we have the technology to make it practical?"

The professor stood up. "The technology exists. We just have to make it strong enough to battle Lord Annihilator. We have to understand their exotic metals and the rest can fall into place."

"But can it work?" Everyone looked to the professor. His eyes shuttled momentarily towards the woman, as if he knew a great secret. Standing tall, he called out. "We will MAKE it work!"

Lord Annihilator was laying waste to things, despite the best efforts of the military. Every trick they tried was easily destroyed by him with almost no effort on his part.

The professor was working on the android, testing a variety of components. He fiddled with some knobs and wiped his brow. "This will be created to fight the threat of alien invasion," he said, clenching his fist. Suddenly, the alert alarms went off and a voice came over the intercom.

"We are under attack and it's being led by Lord Annihilator!"

"No! I'm not ready!" screamed the scientist. Sprinting out of the lab, he went into the tank room, where a body could be seen, floating in the water. He splashed into the water, dragging with him what appeared to be a coffin. The naked body was placed into it, filled with the fluid from the tank and then allowed to sink to the bottom. "I'll be back for you!" he yelled, as he splashed out of the tank.

Shutting all the doors, he ran down the hallway, only to have the roof cave in and one of the enemy robots standing there. It began to lay waste to everything, killing the professor in the process. Then, Lord Annihilator made his appearance and completely imploded the building. "You will learn the price of both failure and resistance!"

"Boooooooooooooo!" someone from the audience yelled. A whole chorus of "boooos" greeted the scene. Even Suguru joined in as that building was consumed in flames.

Later, members of the Matin staff picked through the rubble, twisted and smoking. "Nothing survived?" the commander asked, holding a mangled piece of metal.

"All the records were destroyed as well as the android prototype." The sub-commander shook his head ruefully. "They are trying to find survivors, but…."

"Commander!" A voice from the distance drew their attention as they turned to see someone from the rescue crew waving at them, signaling them over. "You won't believe it!" The all ran over to see the capsule being extracted from the pool. They looked through the window on the capsule and the face of a comatose girl could be seen.

One of them used a field phone. "Helicopter. Here. Now."

A scene shift showed a ship, far out at sea; the name on her hull is shown, Atarashii Nozomi. In one of the rooms, two men argue. "We cannot send her into combat until temperature training is complete." His fist slams on the table.

"The battlefield situation is shifting, even as we speak, Sub-commander Naimon. Why do you think we rushed her completion deadline? We anticipate results in the upcoming operation." His steely eyes glinted back.

"If that's the case, the unit, codenamed Gedatsu, is still incomplete, Commander Ahou. Use all the existing equipment you want for the operation. We cannot risk the one real chance we have prematurely."

"What did you say, you blockhead?"

"Blockhead? YOU'RE the blockhead!"

In the hallway, the girl in the capsule is seen with lots of paperwork in hand. The door opens and both of the men grump out, still arguing.

"Sometimes, one must harden the heart to avert disaster."

"It's necessary, because it is. I am dead set against your violent operation."

"I won't change my mind."

"Can't you understand…..blockhead!"

"You haven't seen stubborn yet."

"You haven't grown up."

Naimon turns to the unit. "Gedatsu, come with me." She looks confused as the scene cut to the temperature training. Starting out on a 7000 meter peak in waist-deep snow, it went to the vastness of the scorching desert, the choking smoke of an erupting volcano, the 100% humidity of the jungle and the blinding and bone-chilling -50 degree C blizzard.

Mahoro could not believe how it was all like her extreme training, including the scene where she was befriending the penguins in the harshness of the Antarctic. She was also nervous, as one of the two arguing commanders looked like Daimon.

In a moment of relative calm, Gedatsu speaks to her commander, as he is fishing off the forecastle of their secret HQ. She looks quite innocent and almost human. "Did you know that roughly 30 minutes after sunset, the sky turns pink?" she said.

"Gedatsu, some day, this war will come to an end and you will be given a chance to see the world and discover that there is something more beautiful out there. My hope is that we both will last long enough to see that day." He casts out his line into the calm waters.

The next day, she is put into battle against Claw Robots. She is standing amid the rubble of their destroyed hulks, uncertain as to what has just occurred. Back at headquarters, they are ecstatic. Even the two arguing commanders are hugging each other.

Back at enemy HQ, Lord Annihilator is angry. "I send a small battalion to this region and you tell me they were completely wiped out in 30 minutes."

"Lord, they had some kind of secret weapon. We were not prepared for such a contingency and..." Lord Annihilator sends a fireball at the soldier and vaporizes him on the spot, leaving a scorch mark. Everyone is terrified as Lord stands up.

"I will not brook any excuses. Deploy the Skull Hunters. Unit 4. That should work."

The next day, Gedensu is standing on a hill, watching 20 Skull Hunters approach. The next 12 minutes were exciting, as the entire battle unfolded, Gedensu destroying the enemy. Mahoro could not comprehend what was going on. This movie was like a documentary of her days on the battlefield. She met these units outside of Shikoku and destroyed that 20 in 12 minutes. It was a decisive turning point in the invasion.

Upon hearing of the second defeat, Lord Annihilator slaughters his entire staff. Storming out of the smoldering room, he yells in anguish. "Can no one help me at all?"

A rather snavely aide steps forward. "I think I can. Itachi in logistics and…"

Lord turns on him, grasping him by the throat. "And why should I trust you?"

"You…have…no...one…else!" Lord lets go of him as Itachi speaks, while rubbing his throat. "You need a site that will force them to send everyone to it and I have just the place. Right here. Sachi Military Installation. It is a missile deployment facility. It would not be any problem to hijack their system and turn the missiles on these…humans. They would be destroying themselves and they will send out this secret weapon to defend."

Meanwhile, the Matin forces are resting at a hot springs. Gedensu is on her way to the springs when she is stopped by her commander. "I want to thank you for all you have done. In just a short time, you have not only put the enemy on the run, you have given us, all of humanity, a ray of hope.

"You are more than a combat android. You have more heart than many people I know. When the day comes that we are no longer at war, I will help you find your 'something more beautiful.' It would be my honor."

Then, an aide comes up and gives him a report. The commander takes it and looks grim. "I'm afraid that our stay here is to be cut short. Hagio is on the move."

The battle at Sachi is in progress. The control room is smashed as the missiles prepare to be launched. Gedensu is facing off against Lord, who has the commander held captive.

"Shoot, Gedensu, shoot!" the commander yells. "You have to! If those missiles launch, millions will die. You have to shoot!" The rockets rise into view, like hundreds of weeds.

"I…I can't….." She shakes her head in disbelief in the situation.

Lord sneers. "This is the secret weapon? Bah!" He shoots a power ray and kills the commander. Gedensu flinches, then powers up her primary weapon. She charges Lord Annihilator who fires shot after shot, but cannot find his mark. Tears streaming from her eyes, Gedensu, takes a hit on her shoulder, but still comes. She takes another hit on her leg and still comes.

"This is for all my friends!" They both collide in a blinding ball of light as a massive explosion completely tears up the ground. The theater was flooded with the light to the point that it looked like day inside. Mahoro's mouth dropped open.

There is a solemn ceremony at a cemetery, as a small girl sobs. "Is Daddy gone forever?" She looks up to the Shiina type.

"No, for as long as you think of him, he will always live and be there with you."

In a laboratory, Matin scientists pour over knobs and dials. Naimon comes in. "What's the verdict?"

One scientist turns about. He motions him over and they look through the bank of glass windows to see Gedensu. "No problem. She can be saved."

In a laboratory, Hagio scientists pour over knobs and dials. Itachi comes in. "What's the verdict?"

One scientist turns about. He motions him over and they look through the bank of glass windows to see Lord Annihilator. "No problem. He can be saved." The movie then ended, amid great cheers and hollering.

Suguru turned to see Mahoro sobbing. "Are you….all right?"

"It's just…..I found it very moving….that's all." She wiped away the tears. This movie was far too close to the mark and she was still feeling exposed after all this time. She just did not know what to do or how to handle something of this nature.

As the left the theater, Mahoro felt better, especially since Suguru was in a good mood. "I mean, Mahoro, I have never cried at the movies. Not even when 'Old Yeller' had to be taken care of. If I knew this would have happened, I would never…"

"I would like to see it again. Not right now, but I think I would like to see it again. It was just a bit more than I expected." Mahoro nodded. A lot more than I expected, she thought to herself, a lot more.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 371 DAYS**

End Notes

The title of this opus? I used to work for a comedy group and we did a radio show. We were going to make fun of MTV and call it RTV (Radio Television). We were asked to come up with the names of bands that you could hear great "radios" of. Lord Annihilator was the only band name to be unanimously approved.

I can just imagine some heavy metal hair band of the 80s, bashing out their power chords and thumping bass. It's such a great name, I could not let if fall by the wayside. Although the original idea was a "gundam" style of mechanized warrior, I took more cues from "Mahoromatic" itself to make a Ryuga-style warrior android.

When I was starting to put together these "More In-Between Days" stories, I had a real problem with the timeline. Some might say that July is too early for this caliber of tale. I mean, we are a week away from the trip to his parent's gravesite, but I felt it would be a good spot for it, as she is still filled with angst for what happened.

Why didn't he go with his friends to this? I think Suguru still feels funny about things and the friends still don't know what to make of Mahoro (In the anime, it was like pulling teeth to get her to go to the beach with them). Now, we know that Mahoro likes movies (albeit cheesy ones) and this is a way for Suguru to show his appreciation of her, by taking her to a film that he likes.

Many of the ideas for this film are based off of "Star Wars" and the "date" of Mahoro's existence would put them in 1997. As I have mentioned in previous postings, the calendar for this show is so messed up, I really do not know what year all these events "occurred", so I am being just as fluid as the creators on this point.

The catchphrase for "Lord" comes from a ridiculous location. The aforementioned comedy group got a write-up in a sex paper. To this day, I still don't know why. We were not smutty or filthy or salacious, but it was a two page article with photos of the group. When you finished our article and turned the page, you saw a huge ad for women presenting their 'services'.

One was for a dominatrix, whose motto was "Worm! I know your weaknesses and for that you must be punished!" as she grips a leather riding crop between her hands. It's just such a great line.

Oh, and they are called 'trailers' because, at one time, they 'trailed' the film, but most people left during the credits (something that STILL goes on today), so they were presented at the beginning of the film, along with the cartoon, the newsreel and selected short subjects. Only the name for them has remained.

Harry Mabs, Jr. was a real person. He was the creative genius that first put flippers on pinball machines.

Some of the references: "Hagio" is another term for holy or saint, "Matin" is a term for morning prayer service, as Vesper is the evening prayer service.


	4. Chapter 4 Just the facts, Ma'am

"Just the Facts, Ma'am"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

July 27th

Police Headquarters in downtown Hiryu was abuzz with activity. Something of this nature has never happened in the history of this town, and with the sheer number of people to be interviewed, decisions had to be made as to the major players to receive a more intensive investigation and interrogation.

Considering how many people were at the beach, the department was overwhelmed and made a call out to neighboring towns to see if they could spare a few more detectives and officers to help out in whatever manner. The logistics for this was made harder by the fact that many witnesses, upon seeing the Cloud Crab, simply got up and left the area. Still, there was the required amount of gawkers, rubberneckers and stunned on-lookers that had the police scratching their heads as they determine who would go and who would stay while trying to get to the bottom of it all.

Needless to say, that was certainly Mahoro and Suguru, but also the rest of their little entourage. Mahoro was the picture of calmness, despite the fact that she had almost been destroyed. She was a bit uncertain as to how to handle all of this. If she let out any unsecured information, her real identity would be unnecessarily exposed.

Her only saving grace in all this was the thick, obscuring fog that the Cloud Crab had laid down. It covered a multitude of problems and allowed Mahoro to do what she had to do to protect the people on the beach and not be seen with her Vesper pistol. She had worked up a story, but she had little time to corroborate it with Suguru. Perhaps the police would put down the inconsistencies to the sheer panic of the situation and being overwhelmed by the chain of events.

Mahoro felt uncomfortable, as all she was wearing was her bikini, and not even the wrap portion of it. That was misplaced during the battle when the Cloud Crab slammed into her after she lost her vision. She was, however, in better shape than the rest of her friends, who were naked when the police brought them in, or wearing whatever coverage could be scrounged while at the beach. She hoped that some kind of garments was given to them. After all, dirty thought are…

There was a knock on the door and a pair of officers came in. The former was rather tall and imposing, wearing glasses and sporting a moustache. He reminded Mahoro of a male version of Totoke-sensei, except a bit taller and wider. The second was more slender and wearing an ill-fitting suit. His hair was a mop, unkempt and angling about, but at least he was clean-shaven.

Big Cop sat down, plopping a thick folder on the table. He clasped his hands together and stared at Mahoro. Mahoro noticed that his eyes shuttled about. He was staring at her all over. One would think that a policeman had seen it all, but perhaps the fact there was a girl in a bikini right in front of him may have been a bit much to bear.

He spoke. "I am Detective Yagami. This is my assistant, Lt. Detective Matsuda." He motioned over to Matsuda, who gave an obligatory nod. He milled about behind Yamagi. "Now, Ms. Ando, I just want to go over some parts of your statement with you. Just to clear up some things in my mind. There seems to be some contradictions from your statement and the statements of others." He flipped open the folder and turned some papers about, then ran his finger down one page. "Some people say that you ran INTO the cloud cover? At the monster?" He motioned with his fingers, to indicate the movement into the cloud and towards the crab.

"I ran into the cloud cover as I thought one of my friends might still be there and they may be having a hard time getting out. It was a very thick fog. I felt that I could elude this robot."

"That was either very brave or very foolish of you!" Thin Cop spoke up, a sour look upon his face. Mahoro looked over to him. Could this be the good cop-bad cop routine I've heard so much about, she thought. "You could have been killed!" he chided.

"So could have my friend." She said everything in such a calm and measured manner that Big Cop eyed her with steely intensity. He raised an eyebrow.

"One would think you had done something like this before. Most people were running around and panicking. Yelling, screaming, losing their mind." Big Cop made a satisfied smirk. "I mean, the ramen hut was destroyed by an errant piece of this….thing. Yet, you had a real presence of mind."

"I also believe that Shikijo-sensei was equally calm in all this," Mahoro responded.

Big Cop looked through his paperwork. "Shikijo. Shikijo." He turned to Slim Cop. "Which one is that person?" Slim Cop cupped his hands in front of his chest and shook them twice. Big Cop acknowledged, nodding his head appreciably. "Yes, she was rather calm in all of this as well."

Mahoro continued. "Having lived overseas for a variety of years, I got accustomed to the unexpected and unusual."

Big Cop shook his head 'no'. "No one gets used to seeing a crab monster arriving on their beach. I don't care what you have seen or think you have seen; it is beyond anyone's expectations and…" Then the door was opened suddenly. Big Cop turned and barked. "I gave strict orders not to…" He stopped short, when he saw two military people.

The man was taller than he was, wearing a sharp uniform and keeping his sunglasses on. The second was a woman, equally sharp, but having a pleasant smile. Mahoro recognized them both, but said nothing. The man showed his ID.

"I am Commander Daimon of the Robotics Division of the Military. This is my aide, Captain Shiina. I understand that this civilian got a very good look at this robot and we need some greater details from her on this."

Big Cop slammed his fist on the table. "Yeah, and I want details as well. There is some smoldering wreck of metal on our beach, a couple of destroyed business and a city filled with panicky people. We ALL want greater details!"

Just then, the station captain showed up. "Detective Yagami!" he snapped.

"Captain Lawliet!" He came to a kind of attention.

"You and Lt. Detective Masuda come with me, please. I'll explain everything." Dejected, they both trooped out, with Shiina shutting the door behind them gently. Once they were alone, Shiina went to the camera in the room and stood under it. From her pocket, she pulled out a small box, about the size of a pack of cigarettes and plugged it into the camera's external port, then sat down at the table across from Mahoro.

"OK, I have disabled the sound portion of the tape, so we can speak freely," assured Shiina. Daimon paced about, but spoke in low tones.

"Although we expect a full report from you on this, Vesper felt it was important enough to send someone down. We were initially reluctant to do this, but fears of a Saint invasion overrode any concerns about blowing your cover or revealing your real identity. As it turns out, it may work to our benefit on this."

Shiina withdrew from her shoulder bag what looked to be a small notebook, but it was a recorder transmitter. She placed it near Mahoro, and sat across from her. "Tell us what happened."

Mahoro held for a moment. Did she really want to tell them that she was outsmarted by the Cloud Crab? That she was nearly destroyed? There had to be a way to relate the tale and not have it reflect badly on her.

Daimon spoke up. "It was very brave of you to engage in combat with the Cloud Crab. We know of your limited fighting abilities, but you were willing to protect the people on this beach as your own personal expense. I want you to know that you can tell us anything. We need to know what was going on."

"Can you tell me where it came from?" Mahoro looked at them. "Is this a Saint attack?"

Shiina put her hands to stop Mahoro's. "This is not something directly from Saint, although it was Saint technology." Shiina tried to allay any fears.

Daimon grumped. "It was those damned Americans. They were doubly stupid. They found this Cloud Crab and didn't tell anyone about it, then they thought they could reprogram it. They were heading to the base at Yokosuga, when it activated itself. Their download was not compatible with the original programming and that is why it acted in such a lascivious manner."

Shiina spoke. "How much total combat time did you use?"

"Twelve minutes, but I was only in combat mode for heightened awareness, I used my Vesper gun for the rest of it."

"But there is still the agility and sharpened reaction time. Our concern is what should have been a simple day on the beach may have cut into your power reserves. But unless Hokaze asks you up, he thinks it may be nothing. He is working the numbers right now." Shiina pulled out a pad and began to write.

Daimon continued. "We are sending down two teams. One is taking care of the clean up and recovery of everything related to the Cloud Crab. We want to make sure not a single piece of debris is left behind.

"The second will be deployed out at sea to make certain nothing else is lurking in the waters. Sadly, we do not know how many other bits of Saint are still out there."

Shiina joined it. "They got very good at either retrieving all the bits or obliterating that which could not be saved, so we would have nothing to work on."

"But some things still managed to get through. Like when you empty a bag of sugar. There are always a few grains left behind, no matter how hard to shake." Daimon made a shaking gesture with his hand.

Shiina flipped through her notes. "We are still trying to get information from the Americans, but they are playing it close to the vest. The best we can surmise is that they may have discovered this at or near Cape Ashizuri in Shikoku. For some odd reason, there was a lot of Saint activity there during the early parts of their invasion."

Daimon muttered. "The Americans have been doing a lot of 'research' around Japan and we are now of the opinion that they are trying to rescue this errant evidence for their selfish needs, for some of their own 'reverse engineering'."

Mahoro looked at the both of them. "Area 51?"

Shiina made a funny face while Daimon snorted. "No, that would be too far to get to. That would actually ultimately go to Area 11, located in Atsugi. I mean, we know a lot went down in their own state of Arizona and….never mind." Daimon waved that off quickly, as if trying to erase a blackboard, immediately aware of his goof.

Mahoro held for a moment, then let it pass. Four years and her nerves were still just as raw on that issue as the first day it happened. She bowed her head. Shiina sensed this and gave her a tissue. "It was just a statement. That's all. Can you continue with your story?"

Mahoro composed herself. "Yes. I was first made aware of the situation when several females came past me in a state of nakedness. I was so involved in dealing with some bullies that I did not immediately register the severity of the situation.

"I thought it was odd that the Cloud Crab was chasing after the females only, removing their swim suits and then letting them go. I could not take the chance that it might self-correct itself, so I had to go into action."

Shiina spoke up. "And you would have no way of knowing that its programming has been altered. 'I am Nomad'." Daimon nodded in agreement. "Continue."

"The Cloud Crab fired off several smoke cartridges and totally blanketed the area. As I went in to fight it, its basic programming must have taken over, as it became highly aggressive and combative, almost as if it recognized what I was." Mahoro held for a moment.

Daimon's cell phone rang and he answered it. He looked at the screen, pushing a button a few times. "I have received a call from the recovery squad and they are sending me photos of what they have discovered. Wow! You certainly did a number on that robot. So you shot off the slicing claw and heaved it into the unit, eh? Did it deploy an ASG?"

Mahoro lowered her head and her cheeks reddened. Daimon noticed this and continued a bit more gingerly. "When was the last time you fought a Cloud Crab?"

"I…I never fought a Cloud Crab. I mean, I was aware of their capabilities, but…but…."

Shiina put a hand out to Mahoro. "There isn't a single person in Vesper who would have or could have EVER imagined that something like this would occur. I mean, we have had our own teams combing the length and breadth of Japan for anything. We have come up with enough scrap material to pack into a room the size of two Daimon offices."

"The largest piece we have is a structural support from one of their airships and that is a mere four feet long. To be able to find a complete crab…" Daimon ran his hand through his hair. "But, at least WE have it now. I don't know how much we can glean from it. Mahoro, I do not want you to take this the wrong way. I know that the lives of civilians come first, but I am just hoping you didn't destroy it too much." Daimon crossed his fingers, but smiled a toothy grin.

Shiina looked at Mahoro. "Forgive him, it's just that after your arrival on the scene, it became harder and harder to find this caliber of ordinance. It seemed Saint knew not to give up anything that looked like an advantage to us." Shiina looked over to Daimon. "Do you have any more to ask?"

Daimon shook his head 'no'. "Again, this was more of a preliminary investigation. We will expect the full report from you as soon as possible, although, I must let you know that you are going to be here for some time to come. I did speak to Captain Lawliet, but he is not going to let anyone go for any reason until he is fully satisfied with all the details. And people call ME anal!"

Mahoro looked up. "How is it coming along?"

Shiina stood up and went around the table, slowly heading back towards the camera. "Most of the people have been released and when we got down here, they had narrowed it down to about two dozen people. Not bad, as they started off with over 200."

"And at this stage, the bulk of them are the women who had their suits sliced off of them. Some folks who are getting a bit more of a grilling include…" Daimon went to his notebook to look at the names. "Hm….well, certainly Suguru. We also have Chizuko Oe, Rin Todoroki and Miyuki Sakura, as they were the first to get their suits sheared off and had the best look at the Crab. I also see Kiyomi Kawahara and Toshija Hamaguchi. I understand they were sitting in a rubber boat and rode in on the back of the crab."

Daimon flipped a page. "Saori Shikijo, as she watched the crab at the closest of any female, yet she did not get her suit stripped off; Kenta Nagata, the owner of the ramen shop; Tanuki and Mujina Ota, the two lifeguards on duty who called in the first report and Eiji Aonuma, a soda vendor walking the beach."

"Don't forget Miyu Asahina. She was a little girl who saw the crab about 10 minutes before it attacked and told her parents of it, but they didn't believe her." Shiina was under the camera. "Daimon, are we done here?"

"Pretty much so, yes." Shiina reached over and unplugged the unit from the camera. Pocketing it, she moved back into camera range. "Ms. Ando, I would like to thank you for your cooperation. If you should think of something else that might be helpful for us, here is my card. Someone will be there to answer."

"I do have one question to ask." Shiina and Daimon both held for a moment. "Do you have any idea how long I am going to be here? I mean, I do have responsibilities to attend to and tomorrow is a busy day for Suguru."

Shiina stepped forward. "I will certainly speak to the captain on this, but our jurisdiction is rather limited in what we can do and even if we could pull you out, nothing stops him from asking you back for a follow-up round of questions.

"However, I am sure you can appreciate the gravity of the situation and that the police are not going to let people go until all the facts have been gathered. It may be a very long night for you."

Daimon merely nodded and the two of them left the room. Moments later, the two cops came back. Detective Yagami sat down, plopping the folder on the table. He clasped his hands together and stared at Mahoro.

"Round Two. Now, Ms. Ando, I just want to go over some parts of your statement with you. Just to clear up some things in my mind. There seems to be some contradictions from your statement and the statements of others." He flipped open the folder and turned some papers about. "Some people say that you ran INTO the cloud cover? At the monster?"

Mahoro said nothing, but she knew it WAS going to be a very long night indeed.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 358 DAYS**

End Notes

There is no way this caliber of incident could ever be covered up. We certainly have Hamaji's candid snap that shows the Crab Robot in the background, and the little girl's comment (I named her Miyu Asahina) that she saw it as well.

And certainly ALL the ladies who were denuded are not going to support a mass hysteria/hallucination scenario. We can't be the Men in Black with the neural flashy thingy, erasing everyone's memory, so it would be best to deal with it head on. Besides, how is the Ramen Shop man going to claim insurance on his destroyed building?

"Let me get this straight. A giant mechanical crab claw shot across the beach and smashed into your noodle shop. THEN a laser beam sliced through the same business and reduced it to rubble, as it caused the place to explode and obliterated it. And when that was all over, the military came over and removed absolutely every trace of evidence that could have substantiated your claim. Do you think I fell off the turnip truck yesterday?!!?"

Let us ignore all the references to "Death Note" characters, OK?

As to Area 51, I have to assume that there are 50 other areas to consider, but we have never heard of them. I mean, where is Area 19 or Area 44 and what about those areas beyond 51?

Atsugi was an intentional selection. It was (and still is) a highly secure location. Lee Harvey Oswald was stationed there in 1958 and 1959 and it was also a CIA Language Training facility and listening post. Even though the US and Japan have joint ownership of the base (since 1972), I am certain they still keep secrets from each other.

The funny thing is Atsugi NAF is not IN Atsugi, but four miles (and two towns) away. It's just that when the base was established, Atsugi was the "biggest" town.

I called it Area 11 as a reference to Code Geass (as Japan, when it was taken over by the Holy Brittanian Empire on August 10th, 2010, was renamed Area 11).

Since many people are not fully familiar with Japan's geography, Cape Ashizuri is the tip of Shikoku Island, in the southern portion of Japan. The Mainland curves about it and you have this land mass. I chose it, as the distance from where they "found" the Crab to where they were going to is plausible, kind of like finding something off the tip of Baja California and you are heading to Miramar in San Diego.

Do I need to explain the Arizona reference or 'I am Nomad'? Probably Arizona. Mahoro had to travel to Fort Bliss, in Arizona, to battle the forces of Saint and it was there that she had to kill her commander. It is seen in the anime, but the title might be easily overlooked. However, the manga handles it differently, having it domestically based.


	5. Chapter 5 Bathhouse Blues

"Bathhouse Blues"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

July 28th

The hot summer sun beat down relentlessly. The cicadas were chirping wildly as even the breeze off the ocean failed to cool anything. Mahoro was in the yard, tending to the flower beds. It had been just a bit over a month since she came to the Misato household and it had taken a lot of hard time to "repair" the damage of benign neglect.

Still, four weeks worth of work to correct four years worth of lethargy was an accomplishment in anyone's book. Despite the blazing heat, the yard looked stunning. The tips Mahoro received from the garden show had paid off big time: the hydrangeas were thick and lush, the lawn was freed up of brown spots and bare patches, the weeds were in full retreat and even the pernicious insect population was under control with the introduction of ladybugs for the aphids and preying mantids for the others.

Surugu had a hard time with the mantids, as they were rather ugly and they could create a start if one happened to come upon the table on the patio, which one did. Suguru spilled his tea on himself, but the mantid remained in his location, unmoved by the actions around him. Who really was the master of his domain?

Suguru was asleep in the house. The entire Cloud Crab incident took a lot out of him and the interrogation he got was more draining than either of them had realized. He had been up for most of the night, until everyone involved was satisfied as to the chain of events, so he was sleeping in. And who knew how long that could be?

As Mahoro worked in the yard, she did note how hot it was. Suguru was concerned that it was too hot for her to work well, but, as a combat android, she had been field-tested in situations and locations that were much hotter than a mere summer in Hiryu. Besides, even though Suguru gave her permission to dress in non-maid garb, she personally felt that she could not. There was an image to maintain and being in a t-shirt and shorts was not that image. Her uniform was her new combat dress.

Looking up from her edging chores along the pathway, she saw Rin and Chizo come into the yard. Neither looked the worse for wear, but since they were the first to really see the Crab, they had been grilled heavily about the events. Chizo was enjoying an ice cream cone, while Rin was holding an oversized handbag.

Mahoro bowed to them. "Good day to you both. Suguru is still sleeping, but if you wish, I could…"

Rin spoke, as Chizo had a mouth full of chocolate mint ice cream. "That's OK, as we are here to speak with you. About yesterday."

Mahoro knew they would be asking questions, just as the police did, but she did not think it would come this soon. "Yes, about yesterday….."

"The less said, the better!" Rin waved a hand, as if to brush away the entire incident. "It was so humiliating! Being in that room for hours; that I…I mean, the less said, the better!" She waved her hand harder, as if the thoughts were being stubborn and not wanting to leave.

Chizo crunched down the last of her cone, licking her fingers in enjoyment. "Oh, my, it is just sooooooooooo hot out!" She mopped her brow in a melodramatic fashion.

"Why, yes, Chizo, it is TERRIBLY hot out. How anyone could work in this weather is just astounding." Rin went to Mahoro, handkerchief at the ready, and daubed the sweat off her face. "If only there was something that could be done about it; to escape such sweltering temperatures."

Chizo, lost in thought, put a finger on her chin and her other hand held her elbow. "Hmmm. But there IS something that can be done." Her finger went into the air, signifying that a solution had been reached.

Chizo and Rin looked at each other, and then said at the same time, "The bathhouse!" They squealed and jumped up and down while Mahoro looked on, a bit perplexed.

They stopped suddenly, Rin looking unhappy. "But wait, Chizo. Won't the bathhouse have hot water? Hot water on a hot day? It seems silly."

"That is true, but you do not have to have it hot. You can take a cool bath. The bathhouse is more than a place to wash and get clean, but a place to relax and talk. Just like in the days of ancient Rome. Whether senator or citizen, all were equal at the bathhouse."

Rin continued. "Yes, yes, and one could catch up on the latest gossip as well." They both turned to Mahoro. "So, how soon can you get ready?"

Mahoro was shocked. "I cannot go. My first duty is to this house. I made a solemn promise to Suguru to do my best for the house and for him. I cannot abandon my duties on any whim I may have."

Rin smiled. "Please look about this yard. It is magnificent and in such a short amount of time as well. And I know that Suguru wants you to enjoy time with your friends. YOUR friends." Rin pointed at Mahoro to emphasize the point.

"And if Suguru is asleep," added Chizo, "he is going to sleep until at least 4 o'clock. We can have you back in plenty of time. He would WANT you to do this." She went up beside her, nodding her head in agreement.

Mahoro thought. Suguru HAD been prodding her to take time off from her duties. He did ask her to come to the beach with them, and he did give his approval for her to go to the bathhouse after that first night. "I…I just don't know," she hesitated.

Rin took her by the hand. "We can think much, much better in the house, away from all this heat." All went inside the cooler house and sat on the couch. "All you need to do is leave a little note for Suguru, telling him where you are. That's it."

"And it will be our treat. Mmmmmm…..treat," murmured Chizo.

Rin closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Thank you, Homer Chizo." Rin then looked to Mahoro. "What do you say? I mean, we really didn't get the quality time we were hoping for. It's just a simple note to Suguru. It'll be just us girls."

"And here is the note!" Chizo proffered a sheet of paper. Mahoro looked at it as it was laid on the table in front of her. "Just sign it."

"So, will I need…..anything?" Mahoro glanced around.

"Just your house keys!" Rin practically leapt from the couch, trying to make sure Mahoro did not change her mind. Chizo held up the keys, jangling them about as Rin continued. "I have the rest of the items we need here: shampoo, skin conditioner and face cloths." Within minutes, they were on their way to the bathhouse.

To prevent problems, Chizo led the way and Rin was next to Mahoro. Considering what it took to get Mahoro to the beach, Rin was taking no chances of a back-out or any degree of remorse and not have her go.

Just as they got there, Miyuki stepped out the front door. She had a broom and was starting to sweep the front area. "So, you came down, eh? Come on in." Miyuki went to the bandai and Rin plunked down the coins. "Head on in; I'll join you in a moment," Miyuki commented.

At this time of day, the bathhouse was quiet, with few customers, so the girls had the run of the place. All four of them were lined up in front of the nozzles and were rinsing themselves down. The cool water felt refreshing for Mahoro. I was rather hot out, she mused, but I am not going to let a few insects ruin the wonderful garden I have really worked on and….She felt a tap on her shoulder.

Miyuki looked at her. "Why such a stern face? I know. Yesterday, right? Well, let's wash that all away. Down the drain with those negative thoughts."

As Mahoro began to wash her hair, she was surprised when Chizo and Rin joined in. "Let us help. I mean, it must be a real workout to wash all this hair," commented Rin.

"Just curious, have you ever thought of trying it in a short style? Or braids? Or a bun like Shikijo-sensei has?" Chizo was washing the lower parts of the hair. "I mean, you might as well be Crystal Gayle."

Miyuki joined them. "I heard it takes her two hours to wash her hair. Just to wash it, not including drying it and putting it up. She must go through a river of conditioner."

Rin chirped up. "Split ends!" They all went "Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!" Mahoro was uncertain how to handle all of this. She had been used to dealing with military types and the closest she got to someone female was Eimi Shiina, but it was still strictly professional. There was always a kind of distance between her and others.

"I just find that, for me, long hair works and looks best," said Mahoro. Two bowls of water were dumped on her head as they rinsed out the shampoo.

"Well," started Rin," if you ever want to change your looks, I know of a salon in town that can scan you into the computer and try a bunch of looks on you before you go under the scissors. They have the cutest guys working there!"

Miyuki rolled her eyes. "Not Snip and Shear! I just think they fuss too, too much." She started snipping hair with her fingers. "Snip snip. Snip snip. Hmmm. Not quite right. Snip snip. Snip snip. Hmmm. Not yet. Snip snip snip snip snip snipsnip snipsnip snip snipsnip snipsnip …..I end up with a bajillion hair bits down my neck. It itches and no amount of showering seems to get rid of them! I even tried to vacuum them away!"

Rin closed her eyes. "You're just jealous that they don't fuss over you like they fuss over me. I mean, I leave the place looking and feeling like a Princess."

Chizo spoke up. "Yes, a Princess, in the highest tower and no way out, guarded by a fierce and ferocious dragon, determined to repel even the stoutest of knights. How long is the confinement? A month?"

Rin reddened. "But…but it's not my fault! I did not expect the police to….the less said, the better!" She waved both hands frantically, as if she was trying to swim. "The less said, the better!!!!"

Mahoro looked to Chizo, who leaned over to whisper. "Since Rin missed her curfew, her parents grounded her. It's not like she didn't try to call them, but she had to be back home before dusk or advise them of a change in situation beforehand."

Mahoro looked up to see a badly depressed Rin. "Would you like me to speak to your parents on this, Rin? I mean, I was interrogated for a long time, so I could tell them what was happening."

Rin perked up. "You would do that for me?" Her eyes filled with tears. "Really? I mean, I couldn't call, as I lost my cell phone somewhere on the beach. I lost my swim suit, I lost my clothing bag, I lost my wallet, I lost my beach ball, I lost my towel. I…lost…EVERYTHING!

"And when I asked the police to call my parents, it got lost in the shuffle and they asked the same questions again and again and again as if I was responsible for that creature showing up and when it somehow got to 2am and they were getting ready to let me go, just let me go out in those oversized pajamas, THEN my parents show up and…THE LESS SAID, THE BETTER!!!" She shook her head after shrieking out her plaintive cry, but the thoughts had burrowed in too deeply. Tears came down her face. Mahoro had no idea how traumatic the whole incident had been for others.

Mahoro continued. "I know that you do not want to talk about what happened and I cannot blame you. I do not really want to talk about it, either. But it's not like it didn't happen and it's not like you did anything wrong. Things like that, well, just don't pop up every day. I think you did very well, under the circumstances."

"Personally, I think the cops were far worse," said Chizo. "I am dressed in a tatami!" Chizo gruffed up her voice. "Ahem. 'Is there anything I can get you?' Yes! How about some CLOTHING! You know, something more to wear than an itchy mat!"

"Did they just pull something out of the lost and found for you? They did for me," remarked Miyuki. "I was wearing painter's overalls and they STILL didn't fit properly. And you know if we were dressed like something from a jumble sale, the rest of the ladies were equally mis-garbed."

"I was just wondering how come some of that clothing ended up there. I did see someone in a very nice bathrobe that came from a high class hotel. I didn't get that," muttered Rin.

"I think what was really bad is that I am in interrogation while my parents are out in the office, with a change of clothing and they have to cool their heels," remarked Chizo. "Meanwhile, I get the itchy tatami mat and the hard chairs to sit on. And where DID they get those chairs? Is there some place that makes uncomfortable furniture?"

Miyuki closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, we are ALL part of a vast conspiracy. We made that crab come on the beach and strip all the girls naked to force them to buy new suits." She pointed a finger at them all. "Yes, I am in cahoots with swimwear makers to do this. Soon, every beach across Japan will have this happening, boosting the bottom line of these companies! Hahahahahaha!"

Everyone looked at Miyuki. "So, they made you feel that it was YOUR fault this happened, right?" asked Rin. "Couldn't someone else have gotten sheared first?"

Mahoro came over and held Rin's hands. Rin looked up, a bit surprised. Mahoro did not really show her emotions. "Sometimes the bigger problem comes not from the incident but the after-effects. When we can see things clearer and then feel badly because we just didn't say or do something at the time.

"Your parents are just concerned for you but they may not have grasped the full scope of what happened and what needed to be done. As I said, I will put in a word for you, if it will help ease things."

Chizo stood up, covered in soap suds, and made a proclamation. "And another thing that will ease things is to…go shopping! We still need bathing suits. I think a wonderful afternoon at some appropriate store would be...uh…uh…appropriate!"

Miyuki turned to Rin. "Where did you get your suit?"

"Takagi Emporium."

Miyuki blanched. "That's….that's a rather upscale store. I mean, I went in there once to find a nice tie for my father. One tie was equal in cost to a week's worth of groceries. I cannot imagine how much a swimsuit goes for."

"They have a fine selection of half-sizes that no one else seems to have, as well as the latest fashions."

"Well," commented Chizo, "I don't care to go back to Harito's Department Store. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it would be just our luck to run into Shikijo-sensei there. Again!"

Miyuki groaned. "That's all I would need. At least at this time of day, she is not going to traipse in. And if you think we have it bad here, Kawahara has it far worse."

Mahoro looked up at Miyuki. "Why is that?"

Chizo came close. "You don't know? Kawahara's family owns a liquor store! Shikijo-sensei is such a good and loyal customer that she gets a discount. He told this story about you and her, Mahoro."

Mahoro blinked. "He…..did?"

Miyuki smiled as Chizo spoke. "For some reason, you and Shikijo-sensei had it out in the sauna here. Some kind of duel, and you emerged 'victorious'. She left here and went right to Kawahara's, where she proceeded to drain four cans in front of the store, whooping and hollering 'Rehydration! I am born again!' Kawahara had to ask her to please, please go home, as she was scaring the customers. Isn't that just delicious?

"I know I would have loved to seen Shikijo-sensei, flopped out in front, cans strewn about her." Miyuki giggled. "Of course, she would deny anything was wrong. Like when she got that swimsuit! Talk about brazen. I would just like to have a decent selection of suits so I don't look like the bargain bin. Also, some degree of decent coverage."

"Then let's split the difference. We shall look to see where the sales are going on and check them out. Besides, every lady needs more than one suit, right?" Rin smiled for the first time a genuine happy smile. Miyuki and Chizo applauded while Mahoro pondered.

Rin saw this. "Is there a problem, Mahoro?"

"I…I…was trying to figure out when this could happen. I don't want to let an opportunity to go to the beach slip by, as I have no suit, but I do not know if I am quite ready to make another trip back there so soon." Mahoro could not believe what she was saying. It was as if the words decided to take over for her. As she spoke, the other girls nodded their heads.

"I know what my father would say," started Miyuki. "'You need to get right back in the saddle, or you might never ride again.' Yeah, but it's not like it's a little scratch."

Rin looked off in the distance, lost in thought. She then became aware that everyone was looking at her. Chizo rubbed her chin. "Pondering the Great Mysteries of the Universe? How can you tell if a brown towel is really clean? If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does Teflon stick to the pan? Why do you always see just one shoe on the side of the road?"

"Actually, I was wondering if Mahoro wouldn't mind speaking to my parents today. I don't want to let this summer go sliding away because of some silly curfew violation that was not my fault. I mean, dad is at work and he's a lot closer to us here than going back to my house. Besides, Mom can be a tough customer."

Chizo shook her head 'no'. "I just can't understand things like that. My parents were just grateful that I was all in one piece. Seriously, I was amazed at the precision of the cuts. I stood in front of the mirror with a magnifying glass and a strong light and I couldn't find any kind of slice on me at all."

Rin commented as well. "I know what you mean, as the suit just exploded off of me and…" Miyuki looked over to Rin, waited a beat, and they all said in chorus, "The less said, the better!"

Rin looked at them, then began to laugh. Mahoro smiled. Rin's mood sure had elevated over the past few minutes. She went over and hugged Miyuki and Chizo. "You are the best friends anyone could have."

They all look so happy, though Mahoro. Then Rin came over and took Mahoro's hands in hers. Mahoro looked up at her, a bit surprised. "And I hope that you will become a best friend of mine as well, Mahoro."

"And me, too!" said Chizo and Miyuki in unison.

Mahoro blushed. I guess this means that I really do have friends. Real friends.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 357 DAYS**

End Notes

As you have seen in the Summer TV Special, Mahoro seems to spend a lot of time down at the baths, not only for bathing, but for dishing and discussing things. It had to start somehow and this seemed like a really good time for this to occur.

But I also had to choose it some time AFTER the water heater blew up (July 19th), as Mahoro's reactions to the bathhouse in that anime episode ("How Shallow the Grave", Season One, Episode Three. But in the manga, it's called "A Brush with Death". Not that either title is all that pleasant) indicated that she had never been to one (she had been to a hot springs, but not an enclosed bathhouse).

The department store mentioned, Harito's, is one I used in a 'previous' tale. Now, they do not mention that store they go to in Season One, Episode Four, "I Will Shoot Him Through the Heart" and the way things are placed it is like they went to the store, THEN to the beach and not try to get something at the beach. So I just filled in the hole.

Now, I do not wish to present Rin as snooty, but since she is the 'rich girl', I would imagine she goes to tonier shops and lets her friends go to the less glamorous ones. She may also be aware of their limited financial situation and wants something for them that is practical, but not necessarily top drawer (and considering what suits cost, that may be a marginal point in the long run.)

Also, in "Ouran High School Host Club", the club goes to a "commoner store", just to see how things operate for those less privileged. I am trying not place people too far out of this social class, but Rin is head and shoulders socially over her friends.

So how do they get Teflon to stick to the pan? First they sandblast the pan to create a lot of micro-scratches on its surface. Then they spray on a coat of Teflon primer. This primer, like most primers, is thin, enabling it to flow into the micro-scratches. The primed surface is then baked at high heat, causing the Teflon to solidify and get a reasonably secure mechanical grip.

Next you spray on a finish coat and bake that. (The Teflon finish coat will stick to the Teflon primer coat just fine.) Works a lot better than the early Teflon pans, but you can still ruin Teflon cookware by subjecting it to extremely high heat. This causes the bonds between some of the carbon atoms to break, giving other undesirable stuff a chance to bond thereto and making the Teflon look like Jeff Goldblum in the last reel of _The Fly._ ("Be afraid. Be very afraid.")


	6. Chapter 6 Gurichan's Big Day

"Guri-chan's Big Day"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

August 24th

The one good thing about summer is the one bad thing about summer, and that is dawn seems to arrive well before one wants to actually awaken for the day. But, if you are a dog, it just means you need to move from one location to another.

Guri, the Misato dog, was asleep in the mouth of his dog house, as the first fingers of the new day reached out to him. He roused himself and moved to a darker potion of his house. Flopping onto the still-cool earth, he gave a contented sigh. It had been a couple of years since he had been rescued. He remembered that day quite well.

It was raining hard and he was in a car with his younger brothers and sisters, all in a large box in the front seat. They were yipping and yelping, oblivious as to what was going on. The car would drive for a bit and stop, then the door would open. A hand would come into the box and a few moments later, the door was shut and the car went on.

This took about an hour or so until the car stopped one last time. Guri was aware that the box had fewer and fewer of them in it, until it was just him. He tried to peek over the top of the box, but it was too tall. He whimpered, as he did not know what was going on.

The car stopped and he was picked up by the scruff of the neck and flung from the car, landing into a pile of trash. By the time he managed to right himself, the car had driven on. He began to give pursuit, but his stumpy legs were no match for Toyo P195/75R15 tires, and in mere moments, the car was gone.

Guri went to the corner and all he saw were lots and lots of cars, driving along. One went into a puddle and drenched him. Scampering back down the street, he tried to find a scent, but it was too wet and too cold and too scary. As the dog wobbled along, he stepped onto something sharp, and let out a yip.

He tried to lick it out or pull it out, but he could not get his teeth about the painful object. The dog limped along, bullied by other dogs roaming the streets. He was chased and the object was driven deeper into his paw, leaving little bloody spots. One of the dogs nipped his tail, so he now had a gash there.

There were a couple of close calls with cars, as he nearly got run over. He could have gotten out of the way sooner, but his paw would not let him move fast. The rain fell harder and the sky was occasionally rent by savage lightening strikes, followed by booming thunderclaps, as though the very heavens were raging against him.

Guri was getting hungry, but there was nothing to eat, his stomach growling. Where was his family? What had happened to them? He nosed through the trash, but he was either chased away or there was nothing to eat at all. Plodding up one of the side streets, chilled to his very marrow, ignored by everyone, Guri came to a rather serene house.

It was a bit overgrown with weeds and there was a doghouse, but his nose did not detect the presence of another animal. He tried to go under the gate, but it was too narrow and he nearly got stuck. He tried to crawl through, but he had no strength to hoist himself up. Everything hurt and he was cold and he could not go on, so he collapsed onto the gate, his head on the bottom bar, the rain pelting him, as oblivion swallowed him up.

When he awoke, he was in a warm house, bundled up in a towel and his paw bandaged. Near him were a half-eaten burger and a dish of water. He bit into the burger. It was cold but he didn't care, it was food. In a few bites it was all gone. Staggering up, he went to the water dish. His paw still hurt, but not as bad. He heard footsteps and looked up.

This giant was coming towards him. He tried to run, but he couldn't. He was then grabbed and hoisted up, cradled in his arms. "Hey, boy, how are you doing? You looked to be a real wreck." Suguru scratched his ears. "What were you doing in the rain? You can't be more than two months old. You don't even have a collar and license. Did you wander away from your family? Did you get….abandoned?"

Guri just lay there, uncertain as to what to do. Suguru talked. "Well, it may not be much, but you can stay here. We used to have a dog but…..never mind. As soon as the weather clears up, we'll take care of things. So, in the meantime, you'll stay here and inside."

But that was then and this is now. He had a dog house that was his. It even had a sign over it. He was told that was his name, but he couldn't tell. It could have said anything. Although he like his old master, this new one was a lot nicer.

Not that Master was mean, more like careless. His feeding schedule was a bit inconsistent and there were days he went hungry. And the food given to him was whatever was about: pizza crusts, miso soup, noodles. It was nice when he found a meaty rib, as he could always gnaw on the bone.

But this new one! Such wonderful meals were given to him, and on a regular schedule as well. He also wasn't constantly tethered to his house, but could roam the yard. And the walks! Lovely walks so he could sniff and sniff and sniff absolutely everything he could scurry and scamper to.

He also didn't mind the occasional bath he got, even though he worked hard for those smells. When he rolled in that pile of fish skins, he thought it was the greatest. Oh, well…

Speaking of smells, a scent got over to him. He looked up to see his bowl awaiting him. He looked at the eggs and devoured them. So tasty! And a lot better than a serving of curry rice. A little while later, he heard her call out. "I'm taking Guri-chan for a walk. We are going to the T-E-V. It shouldn't take too long."

When Guri saw the leash, he bounded from the house. Another walk! Lots to sniff! As they headed out, there was just so much to go after. Oh, that smelled good. Oh, that smelled good. Oh, that smelled……wonderful!

He also noticed that everyone greeted her: the smaller children would come up to her and talk about things (and he got a lot of petting and scratching); the shop keepers along the way had a nice word or two for her. They were trying to sell her things, but she told them that she had a special errand to run, but that she would be back in the afternoon to speak with them all.

As they headed downtown, it appeared they would be going to the main marketplace. That was nice, as he always got a treat or two from the merchants. However, they turned left at one spot and went down another street. Well, there were still good things to smell here. Oh, that smelled good. Oh, that smelled good. Oh……Guri froze. That was not a nice smell. It smelled like that place.

He had been there once before. It smelled of despair and pain and anguish. When he was at that place, some guy in a white coat poked and prodded him. He felt very bad while there. It was that smell all over again.

Guri tried to resist, but Mahoro simply picked him up and brought him along. He yipped in anguish. If only he was bigger! They went inside a building and Guri shuddered. It WAS that place. He heard the cries and wails of other animals. They all knew that something terrible was going to happen to them.

He tried to wriggle free, but she had an iron grip on him. At the window, it slid open and someone spoke. "May I help you?"

"Yes. I have a 10 o'clock appointment. Guri Misato."

"Ahh, yes. Have a seat. You'll be seen shortly." Mahoro sat down, Guri in her lap. No matter how hard he struggled, he was not going anywhere. Although it seemed like forever, they were soon in the back area, in their own room. He was on the examination table. He went to the edge. It was too far to try and jump down and there was no place else to go. The tabletop was covered with the scratches of the hundreds of others that had come before him and been in the same situation.

The vet came in, reeking of disinfectant. Guri smelled this and tried to scamper away, but he was trapped. A folder was put onto the tabletop. "So, it's been a couple of years since we last saw Guri. What brings him around? Anything in particular?"

"Well, as you said, it has been a couple of years and I wanted to make sure Guri-chan was in good health," replied Mahoro.

"Well, let's start with the basics." Grasping the back of Guri, his tail was lifted. Oh, no, thought Guri, that thing is going to get stuck in me and…."Yipyipyipyip!" The thermometer was inserted as he was held immobile. It was just so humiliating for this to happen.

In a few moments, it was taken out. Guri was relieved, but then came the poking and prodding, as the doctor listened and thumped and squeezed and clutched and spread his gums to look at his teeth and poked his tongue and peered into his ears and squished his kidneys and…and…and….

"OK, now to weigh him and get a urine sample." Guri was spirited out of the room, into the back, where it smelled terrible, even worse than the doctor. All that medication and cleaning solutions. He was plunked on a scale and had his eyes bombarded with a bright light and some of his water taken and…and…and…

Taken back into the room, the doctor gave him a small treat to eat while he spoke. "Overall, the dog is in good health. Great teeth, no sign of infection anywhere and fine temperature. I'll know more when the urine culture comes back, but I am not concerned. However, Guri is overweight. Whatever you are feeding him, feed him a little less. When you take him for his walk, make it 10 more minutes. That should get him in better shape. I would like to see him in six or so months, though. As a follow up. That's it."

"Thank you, doctor. I'll get right on it." Mahoro gathered up Guri and went to the front desk, paying the bill. "I was told to make a follow up appointment for him." Guri strained at the leash. The door was mere inches from him but he could not get her to move towards it and to the freedom on the other side.

The receptionist looked at her schedule. "February is a mess. How about March? March 22nd? It's really open or would you like something sooner?"

No, that date is just fine." Guri wriggled about. Could we please get out of this place? Once outside, Guri ran as fast as he could, getting away from there in record time. All he could think about was home. Home, home, home, home, home. Gotta get home, gotta get home, gotta get….home?

Before he knew it, he WAS home. Once off the leash, he ran and hid in the dog house, pushing into the furthest corner. Surrounded by familiar smells, he flopped down, exhausted. At least he was sure of one thing: as long as he was in his house, neither of them ever tried to drag him out, so all he had was himself. He fell back asleep.

The day started to heat up. Guri heard a sound of something plopping down and looked up to see his bowl. But there was nothing in it. As he tottered over he was that it had water with some ice cubes in it. Laplaplaplaplaplaplaplap. That was just so good! Something to take the heat of the day off.

Now out of his house, he decided to go about and mark his territory. True, no other dog had ever come into the yard and that errant cat was always on the top of the wall, painfully out of reach of everything but his barking. Still, he needed to show that he was King of his Domain.

As he came around the house, he saw her hanging up the laundry. He sat and watched as article after article of clothing was put up with precision. Master never did anything like this, so it was interesting to watch. Soon, the lines were filled with shirts, pants, pajamas, towels. There was no breeze, so they hung down straight. An occasional drip of water would land on him, but for now, they were silent sentinels, drying in the summer sun.

With that done, she came back into the yard to do some cleaning. She did some initial watering of the plants, to cool them down and spruce things up, then she swept down the veranda. As Guri came up the steps, he saw one of the mantids that had still hung around. He barked furiously at it. Those things were scary! Yet, no matter how hard he barked, they just looked at him if he was a mere annoyance, and then skittered on their way.

"Now, now, Guri. We need those mantids. The keep the aphid population down so we have a lovely garden and not a half-eaten disaster area. The hydrangeas have never looked better, thanks to them." Mahoro gently admonished him while the dirt and debris from the veranda was taken care of.

With that done, Guri headed underneath, to the cooler realms. He once slept under the veranda when she was sweeping and he got covered with dirt. That required a bath, which he wasn't too happy to get. But with the broom away, more time to nap.

When things got a bit cooler, he came out to see Mahoro, wearing a yukata, while standing on the grass. She was doing that strange movement again, as she had the past two evenings. She brought out a tape deck and put in a cassette and turned it on. It played the music as she went through the motions of the dance.

"To better serve the Misato household and sustain harmonic relations with the people in the area is an integral part of my mission. I was asked by the councilman to be the Dance Maiden, so I must practice diligently, shouldn't I, Guri-chan? But this arm waving is darn well near impossible. And I have to keep smiling as well."

She bent over and looked down at the dog. "Will you be my audience? It is important that I get this right and I do not wish to disappoint Suguru. I thought battling alien androids was hard, but this is a bit more than I had expected.

"The Festival is just two days away and I have a solemn duty to be the best that I can be." She made an irritated face. "And Shikijo-sensei was the maiden LAST year, so there is no way that she is going to be better than I will be. I will put on a performance that they will talk about for years to come. Up, down, up, down, left, left. Up down, up, down, right, right, rotate circle to the left, rotate circle to the right, spin about once, spin about twice, and smile. Always smile.

"Bottom left, top right, bottom left, top right, neutral position, double arm wave. Bottom right, top left, bottom right, top left, neutral position, double arm wave. Then the song."

"Shan, shan, shan. Shan, shan, shan. If you take a bride, take a Hiryu girl. She is elegant, gutsy and understanding. She is a good worker, a pure maiden through and through….."

Guri watched as she worked at it, always chiding herself to do better. She stopped once to go into the house and get some paperwork that she poured over. She worked on some of the tricky parts a few more times, moving very slowly though the dance to make certain she knew it cold.

This went on for a couple of hours, the player putting forth the song. Suguru came out onto the veranda, yawning. "You sure are working hard at that, Mahoro."

She turned and blushed. "I feel that doing anything less would besmirch this great honor placed up me. But I think I have practiced enough. I am going to change out and head to the marketplace for some dinner. The summer months make it harder to come up with meals and the weather affects things as well."

She got up to go inside, the paused to turn about. "Would you like to come along with me? Guri needs his second walk of the day and the T-E-V said it should be a few minutes longer than normal."

"Sure, that would be fun. Shake some of the cobwebs from my head and help decide dinner as well. I'll leash up Guri."

Within a few minutes, they were on their way. Guri felt better. With the Master holding the leash, that meant there would be no deception, as there was this morning. Even at this late time of the day, the marketplace was still abuzz with activity. As they went from shop to shop, Guri was given a small tidbit to chomp on. The greengrocer put out a bowl of water. Yes, it was still hot for the day as well.

Mahoro had decided on a variety pack of pot stickers. "I know just the way to cook them up just right, and with all of these flavors, it should make for a wonderful dinner."

"And if you cook them ALL up, then there will be a wonderful lunch as well," offered Suguru. "Lovely, lovely pot stickers."

"Knowing you, it would be more like a midnight snack…that you don't clean up after!" Mahoro pointed a finger at him and they both had a good laugh.

On the way back home, Suguru took a side trip to a nearby park. He let Guri off the leash and permitted him to run about. He chased after a butterfly, barked at the squirrels and rolled in a mound of dirt. He trotted back to hear the both of them talking.

"There are days that I wish this feeling could go on forever," said Suguru, the waning afternoon sun warming his face, a large grin as he tilted his head up

"Yes, that would be nice. Not to have any worries about anything," commented Mahoro, the bags of food at her feet. Guri came over and started sniffing at the bag, looking for another bit to eat. Mahoro bent down and waggled a finger at him. "No more treats for you, Guri-chan. You are a bit of a snack monster and it's starting to show." She gently poked him in his ample belly.

Guri yipped and ran around in a circle while the both of them laughed. Suguru put his hand down and it landed on Mahoro's. Both were aware of what happened and blushed as they turned away. Guri looked at them. He may not know much, but he knew that they both really liked one another.

"Ah, well, Mahoro, I guess we should be getting back before it gets too dark to see," stammered Suguru, as he grabbed the leash and started to hunt down Guri. But Guri was a little bit too fast and Suguru landed face flat on the grass, trying to get Guri. After a few more attempts, they were able to start on their way home.

As they went along, they saw a man who was walking two dogs. The dogs seemed to enjoy each other's company, playing a type of tag between them. "Do you think that Guri might want to have a companion?" asked Mahoro.

"I don't know. I mean, it's always been just Guri and I do not know how well he might react to another pet. I certainly would not want him to be bullied about. He is such a tiny dog. I mean, there is this cat in the neighborhood with these sharp teeth." Suguru made biting gestures. "That cat scares even me!"

Once at home, dinner was started. Guri decided to stay inside and watch her cooking. The house filled with marvelous smells. Even Suguru came over to see what Mahoro was doing. "Sometimes, this is better than watching TV. Uh…except for anime."

It was a delicious dinner and Guri had some of it, but not as much as he was used to getting. With the dishes done, Guri was taken out and put in his dog house. The weather was still balmy enough that he did not mind sleeping under the starry skies, the cicadas and the crickets chirped as the sky was streaked with shooting stars.

The dog sighed. But he knew that the weather was going to shift and then it would be odd accommodations during the Snowy Time. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he had a thought. A friend? Another dog here? How absurd.

In the house, Mahoro took a phone call. "Yes. I see. Well, I think that would be a marvelous suggestion. He asked? He really asked for this? Then, in that case I know exactly what to do. Thank you for that."

As Mahoro hung up the phone, Suguru asked over. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, just a little surprise." She turned and gave a happy smile. And you'll find out soon enough."

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 329 DAYS**

End Notes

I do not consider this in the realm of the "An Evening With…" series. I mean, if Guri-chan is like any other pet, two-thirds of the day is spent asleep. Wow, can't you feel the excitement on that one: "As dawn broke, Guri-chan was asleep in his doghouse, dreaming of food." The tension is too much to bear!

Still, the idea for this came from the Show itself: Season One, Episode Three, when the Satellite Poem was "read" by Guri-chan (in a series of barks and growls).

I chose the day that I did as I wanted it to be before the arrival of Slash, which is two days hence, but Mahoro has been somewhat established. Things got greatly altered with Slash's appearance and I wanted to reflect on those "Dog Days".

I have been debating a story for Slash, but it would be less of a day for him and something more specific, but it is a random thought, what I call an "untethered idea", as all I have is a capsule description and nothing more. I may decide not to follow after him, but should I do that, it would have to hold for "Still Even More In-Between Days."

OK, does a dog know that a fish is called a "fish" or what eggs are or even what their name is? Probably not, so a lot is done for the sake of convention. Alas and alackaday, they cannot speak to us in our language about things, nor can we in theirs (sometimes, you wish for a Brian Griffin.)

Why did Mahoro spell "vet" backwards? I knew a dog that would respond to the word "vet" and eventually tumbled to "v-e-t". But they just could never fathom what "t-e-v" was. I also had a cat that, when I brought out the carrier, fled to other lands. She knew!

Now, I know that we have seen Suguru watching TV, but the shows are always bland newscasts. He's 14! Of COURSE he's watching anime, so I just decided to play up that angle of it. When I was trying to track down the Mahoromatic OVA, I saw what TBS was broadcasting. There were anime shows on the schedule.

Oh, and if you go looking for her at TBS (and that's for Tokyo Broadcasting Service), reference under "Automatic Maiden". It works much better, as they have no idea what a "Mahoromatic" really means.


	7. Chapter 7 The 11th Kingdom

"The 11th Kingdom"

by Furor Scribendi

2010 Scribendi Productions

September 1st

It was a kind of a party at the house, as school has just started back up again. Mahoro was still distracted by the incident the night before with Ryuga and the fight on the rooftop, but she wasn't going to let that dampen the spirits of everyone here.

Well, she would try to be upbeat, but with Shikijo-sensei barging in, it made for strained times. She was cackling as she had another beer.

"Shikijo-sensei, you should be a better role model for your students," chided Mahoro, as she placed another beer in front of her, removing the spent can from the previous drink.

"Oh, but I am an excellent role model," corrected Shikijo, as the can was drained in record time and clunked onto the tray with its brother. Thinking for a moment, she retrieved the can and then smashed it against her forehead, flattening it. With a satisfied smirk, the can was placed back on the tray.

Kawahara leaned over to Hamaji. "Yes, she's a good example of being a bad example," he whispered, as Hamaji had another bite of his after-school treat.

Chizo was almost purple with ecstasy. "This tempura is so exquisite. It has just the right amount of breading and frying, to bring out the full flavor. And this wasabi sauce! Spicy enough to be zesty, but not so overpowering as to burn your tongue off." She crunched down on another piece. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

Suguru and Shikijo went for the same piece and grabbed it at the same time. Suguru looked into her eyes and saw her almost leering at him. He quickly dropped the piece, but it was too late.

"Oh, my," she chirped, in mock indignation. "If we both grab the same piece at the same time, that means you have to pay a penalty." She leaned well over and pinned him down with her succulent body, allowing Suguru a prime look at her bust. His eyes bugged out as the flop sweat appeared. "Now, what will your penalty be?"

Mahoro was on the verge of separating the two of them, when the doorbell chimed. Glaring at them as she passed by, Mahoro went to the door and opened it. She saw a woman in a sharp blue blazer, holding a clipboard and with a huge grin on her face. Behind her was a man with a video camera and another person holding a large corsage of balloons and streamers.

"Excuse me, I am Ahura Mikimoto. Is Suguru-kun at home?"

"Yes, yes he is." Mahoro looked on with curious wonderment.

The woman presented Mahoro with a business card. "Could we please come in and speak with him?" Mahoro stared at the card and opened the door wider to allow them entry. The corsage man had a bit of trouble, as he had so much to work with and it was hard to squeeze through without damaging anything.

Walking down the hallway, she came into the TV room. Everyone stopped and looked at them, the video man busily shooting everything while the corsage man replumped his offering. "I am Ahura Mikimoto, Guest Relations Manager for Disneyland Tokyo and I need to speak with Suguru Misato."

Prying himself free from Shikijo's grasp, he stood up. "I am Suguru Misato." The man with the corsage practically buried him in the balloons and streamers as Ahura shot off a few party poppers. The cameraman hooted on a two party horns, stuck in his mouth as the confetti streamed down

"Congratulations! Suguru Misato, you are the Grand Prize Winner in the Festival of Dreams at Disneyland Tokyo!"

Shikijo nearly upset the table as she jumped to her feet. "Disneyland Tokyo!" She squealed like a little girl, dancing and prancing about. The cameraman made certain he caught all of this reaction. Shikijo grabbed Suguru, clasped him to her bosom and twirled him around. "A festive, festive time, for everyone one involved!" She sang her little tune as the rest of the friends stared on in stunned silence.

All except Chizo, who was busy picking out the confetti bits from her food. "This is no way to treat a treat!" she grumbled.

Mahoro went up to Ahura. "Excuse me, but what was this contest about?"

Ahura looked at her, and then looked at the people in the room. She clapped her hands and made a rather loud noise for such a tiny person. When she had everyone's attention, she spoke. "If you will have a seat, I will explain everything." All but Mahoro were seated, but all were at rapt attention.

"The Festival of Dreams is to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Disneyland Tokyo. Suguru-kun's name was drawn from over 2 million entries and he gets, well, the Keys to the Kingdom." Everyone made 'ooohing' noises as Shikijo held Suguru close to her. He was sopping with sweat and gasping for air.

Ahura continued. "It is a four-night, three day stay at the Magic Kingdom. You will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel, where you will dine on the finest cuisine."

Chizo perked up. "Really? What will be served? All we can eat? Any time? Room service?" She smacked her lips in anxious preparation.

Ahura, responding to Chizo, gave her a sample menu from her clipboard. "All meals and drinks are covered, except for alcoholic beverages, and, as you can see, some of the finest dining in all of Japan." Chizo's grin grew wider and wider and she poured over the menu.

"This…..this is the greatest!" Chizo jumped so high, she almost hit the ceiling. Everyone gaped as her. Hamaji turned to Kawahara.

"Did you know she could do that? I didn't." He looked back to see if Chizo would repeat the feat. But Chizo was just pouring over the menu and pointing out things. "Oh, this looks good. Oh, this looks good. Oh this looks…magnificent!"

Ahura smiled as she continued. "Accommodations are for up to 10 people."

Mikuyi went up to her to look at the pictures of the rooms. "Those are some immense beds. You could probably stick all ten people into one bed and they wouldn't bump into one another."

"I don't know," called out Rin. "You know what a sprawler Chizo is."

"Well, the proper term is BED HOG!" Miyuki leaned into that one, but Chizo was lost in her own little dining world of delights and never heard the slam.

Shikijo made a quick count of everyone, and then turned to Suguru. "I can see seven already," she purred seductively.

"Uh….seven?" Suguru squeaked.

"Your five friends, you and…..me!" She counted out everyone, then placed a finger on one of her ample breasts to note herself, and then slid in very close. "That makes….ssssseven." She strung out the 's' sound to make it more sensuous.

"But, what about Mahoro?" Suguru started to gesture over towards her, as she was trying to take in all of the bedlam.

"What about Mahoro? That flat-chested homebody? Someone has to stay here and tend to the animals."

Mahoro glared as she moved close to Shikijo. "Someone also has to come along and make certain that the proper protocols are maintained. And we know that cannot be you."

Kawahara stood up and spoke to Ahura while Mahoro and Shikijo glared at one another. "Does that mean 10 total people, or the winner and 10 guests?"

Hamaji burst right in "Are there any blackout dates?"

Rin followed close behind "What is the rest of the hotel going to be like?"

Miyuki was more sanguine, pointing towards the cameraman. "Are these guys going to be trailing us the entire time?"

Ahura smiled. "If you will all please sit down, I will explain everything." She pointed to the corsage man, who went out and came back with a dry-erase board and a tripod. It was quickly set up as Ahura pulled out some markers and got ready. She also folded out a bird's-eye view map of the resort and clipped it to the board.

"Owing to your location in Japan, you are going to be picked up by a limousine service and taken to Disneyland, where you will stay in a hotel suite at the Disneyland Grand. You will also be afforded the services of a VIP Tour Guide."

Suguru looked at her. "What is a VIP Tour Guide?"

Ahura gave a big smile. "From the moment you arrive, your personal VIP guide is there to take care of everything. Everything. From creating your ideal itinerary to getting you the best seats in the house for live shows, parades and nighttime spectaculars and to act as a kind of historian as you get a special tour of the park. It's an extra level of service and convenience for a magical vacation you will never forget. Oh, and that means VIP passes, so you go to the front of the line in ALL rides."

Kawahara and Hamaji looked at each other, then gave themselves a smashing high-five. "Right on!" they yelled, and then yelled at the same time "Rocket Rides!" They ran around the room like rockets, whooshing and zooming.

Ahura beamed. "You will be part of the One-Hour Early aspect, where certain areas of the resort are opened to Special Guests one hour before the rest of the guests may come in. This will also include a breakfast out in that particular designated land. So, for example, the Early Hour that particular day is in Fantasyland. All those rides are operational and a breakfast is served at the Fantasyland Café.

"Then at the proper time, the rest of the park opens up and the other guests can come in and go to whatever area. Your section will be roped off and then, the rope is dropped, allowing you full access to the resort."

Suguru went up to the map and peered at it, working his mind. "That means if we are here and the guests are here and the doors open, we have a HUGE head start to get to all the fun rides first! Lord Annihilator! 'I know your weaknesses, and for that, you must be punished!' Ka-Blammmm!"

"What about the live shows, like the Golden Horseshoe Review?" asked Shikijo.

"Those will have to be prepared in advance, with your Tour Guide, but they will present you with a list as to what is going on at which time on that given day. You decide what you wish and you are in. The same would go for the other performances. You just let us know that you want to attend the 4 o'clock show of "The Princesses and their Diaries" and we will reserve those seats. You might even get called upon to be in the show for a moment.

"The only thing we ask is if you commit to that show time, please to go to that show. Your Tour Guide can get the seats for you; but it's up to you to get yourself INTO those seats. The shows are very popular and the seats disappear really fast. And speaking of the princesses, you will have a photo opportunity with one of the Disney Princesses during your stay."

Miyuki and Rin stood up together, eyes aglitter.

"How wonderful," said Miyuki.

"How marvelous," said Rin.

"A chance to be with…..Ariel!" Miyuki was rapturous until Rin tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but it's Belle."

Miyuki stuck a finger in her ear and cleaned it out. "I'm sorry, but I thought you almost said the word 'Belle'. I must be dreaming."

Rin came up and pointed a finger at her. "You ARE dreaming if you think it's going to be Ariel. I want elegance and grace, not seaweed."

"Hah! As if I would want to hang out with a woman who talks to sheep!" Miyuki crossed her arms.

"Ariel talks to fish!"

"Yeah, but they talk back to her!"

Suguru smiled and went over to Ahura. "You'll have to excuse my friends. They get rather passionate on this issue."

Ahura was most charming. "That's OK. At least they are being mannered about it. Now, onto the legal matters." Suguru looked a bit pale at that word. "Since you are a minor, you will need a parent or guardian to accompany you."

Mahoro stepped up. "I can be that guardian and…" Before she could finish, Shikijo barged right in, shouldering her to one side.

"As Suguru's homeroom teacher, as well as the homeroom teacher for the rest of these students, I am eminently qualified to be a guardian for this child." She put her arms about him and gave him a gigantic hug, almost popping Suguru's eyes from his head.

Mahoro pried Suguru from Shikijo's grasp. "As a dispassionate party, I am the one to be in charge of this tour and since I am his maid, I have the edge in being able to tend to everyone's needs and take charge of the situation." Shikijo put her head against Mahoro's forehead and started to push. Mahoro pushed right back and they growled at each other, fighting for supremacy. "I beat you in the sauna and I can beat you here!"

"That was just a lucky break! I haven't even begun to pull out my big guns!" The shoving continued as did the growling.

Ahura acted as though these shenanigans were something she had experienced numerous times before and continued speaking to Suguru. "As long as there a responsible party to oversee everyone…" She looked over as Mahoro and Shikijo battled on. She made an uncertain face. "…we are content with whosoever takes on that task.

"But there will be forms to fill out regarding liability and other issues. I would like you to read this contract over." From her briefcase, she pulled out a series of documents, handing them separately to Suguru, who started to sag under the weight of them. "We need you to know what our responsibilities are, what your responsibilities are and what is to be expected from you while you're our guests."

Chizo stood up. "That's easy. No inappropriate dress."

Rin followed. "Conduct yourself in a mature manner at all times."

Hamaji added his two yen. "No uncalled-for language."

Kawahara came in. "Fighting or dangerous horseplay is strictly verboten."

Miyuki spoke out. "Be respectful of other people."

Ahura looked over at them. "Well, I am duly impressed. I think we are going to get along well together."

"Ariel!"

"Belle!"

"Ariel!"

"Belle!"

"Ariel!"

"Belle!"

"Rocket Jets!"

"FOOD! Glorious food!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Suguru gave an embarrassed smile. "Heh heh heh." The cameraman recorded every moment of his reaction. Maybe First Prize would have been better, thought Suguru, as he looked at the massive stack of paperwork.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 321 DAYS**

End Notes

The title of this piece comes from the mini-series "The 10th Kingdom". I just decided that Disneyland Tokyo was a kind of 11th Kingdom.

Now, I did run into an anime that mentioned Disneyland Tokyo as a place to go. Almost all of these shows use theme parks, and they have some kind of vague name, but it is a theme park of some ilk. I assume that the fear of actually using Disneyland is trucking with potential copyright problems, if and when you present their characters in your story.

I feel in a venue as limited as this, I can be a bit freer with things. I cannot imagine Disneyland feeling that I am engaged in copyright infringement and theft of intellectual property by talking about them, forcing them to sue me. Not a good PR move.

Now, even with research, a lot of what I was talking about is based off of Disneyland itself. I mean, my chances of getting to that part of the word are so slim, it only has one side to it.

I have decided to actually show the whole trip, but that is going to be part of a special 13-chapter series, initially titled "It's a Small World", slated for some time later, later, later.

As to the head-shoving incident, I hope you have ever seen the anime "Negima!" In the first episode, Asuna Kagurazaka and Ayaka Yukihiro initially have a put-down session, then Asuna puts her forehead against Ayaka's forehead and they start to shove one another. It is a rather odd way to resolve an argument, but I realized that Mahoro and Shikijo are not that different than Asuna and Ayaka, so it works well.

And if you have seen the new Mahoromatic OVA, there is a moment when both Mahoro and Shikijo get really close, to the point where I though they were going to be shoving their heads together and doing battle. Obviously, I am on a similar wavelength as both the writers and the animators (and it would be really neat to see something like that, anyway.)

Oh, and I haven't got a clue as to what they are saying to one another in the OVA. It's all in Japanese with no subtitles, so I have to infer from the action what it is all about. And the DVD for this little funfest didn't come out until the end of the year.

And "The Princesses and their Diaries" show is completely bogus. But, considering what princesses are available at the time this takes place (1997 or thereabouts), it makes for a good show, and continues the Ariel-Belle rivalry. But more on that later.

As to the limo, I felt that a train ride up lacked the potential of things going wrong as much as a pair of limousines going there. And it is about a two to three hour drive from the 'location' I have placed Hiryu.


	8. Chapter 10 Getting Acculturated

"Getting Acculturated"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

October 1st

Mahoro had to practically drag Suguru to the museum, but it was a class assignment. They were to go to one of five suggested museums in the Yokohama area and do a report on some aspect of Japan and her history. Suguru was adamant about doing the work, as it meant getting on the train and going up to Yokohama, so it was a whole day lost. And a Saturday as well!

Mahoro was being most insistent. "Although it may be fun to blow up zombies, that does not look good on a job resume. You need to focus in on getting good grades. Who knows, you could even score well enough on your tests to get into Tokyo University. Good grades are going to help support you in that direction."

"But," Suguru sputtered, "I mean, with the internet and all, I could easily do the same caliber of research and not have to go all the way out there to see it. I mean, it's just a report Shikijo-sensei wants."

"That may be true, but there is nothing better than actually seeing these items and getting a sense and feel for the history behind it. No picture or downloaded scan is going to impart the same feeling. You can watch a video of a sea turtle swimming, or you can see the real thing, live and in front of you. It is a completely different sensation.

"Besides, we have put this off for far too long and this is really the last weekend to at least get up there. Remember, on Monday, she wants to see some degree of notes and information to show that you did get to there and are working on the report."

After much haggling and discussion, they made a decision to focus on the pottery history of Japan. There was a cultural history museum with a stunning display of not only pottery, but clothing, armor and other house wares. And what made this particular museum so great is that it was only a three-minute walk from the Minatomirai Station.

In fact, it was part of a cluster of museums. Across from them were the Asian Art Museum, which also included modern exhibits; the Natural History Museum, with all the dinosaur bones and human evidence of life in ancient Japan, and the Maritime Museum.

Farther away was the aquarium, but that was on to the waterfront, and the War Museum, located at the northern part of Yokohama. There was a bit of a chill in the air as they stepped off from the platform and into the bustling town. Suguru had wanted to come up in her BMW, like they did a couple of weeks earlier, but Mahoro felt that not only would the train be nicer, they would not have to worry about parking and the traffic while trying to get into town.

And since the Yokohama Bay Stars were having a one-game playoff as well, it was going to be manic at best. "At least the museums will be rather light, as most folks will probably be watching the game," Mahoro commented.

They arrived at the museum, just as it opened, so there were hardly any people, although Suguru did notice some other school mates walking around. At the main desk, they looked at the map and planned a course of action

"Although I cannot tell you what to do your paper on, one can easily discuss how cultural influences and improvements in both the clay and the firing processes changed what could be done with the pottery and opened the way for…."

A rude snicker could be heard behind them. They both turned about to see Saori Shikijo standing there. She had opted for a more casual look, but it was still highly provocative. Despite the brisk October weather, she was wearing a pair of light pink shorts and a rather snug t-shirt, promoting the Yokohama Bay Stars. "So our maid is also an expert on pottery? How droll. How simply droll."

Suguru found himself staring at the t-shirt, as one of the stars was in a rather prominent location. He mumbled out, "Why, Shikijo-sensei, what brings you around here?"

She smirked at Suguru and moved closer. "Many of my students submitted their ideas for their papers beforehand, and a goodly number were pointed in this direction. I just want to make sure that things were going well with them." She moved in close to Suguru. "I would be more than happy to give you a private tutoring lesson, if you wish." Suguru noticed that her lips were plumper than normal, as she slowly said every word to him.

Mahoro intervened. "Well, we certainly do not desire to take away all your time from the other students, but if we are in need of guidance, we know where we can find you." Mahoro was able to pry Suguru free as they started towards that part of the museum. Saori merely smiled as she waved at them.

Suguru was intimidated by the museum. Aside from it being very quiet, his shoes seemed to stomp down on the floors, so they echoed throughout all the galleries. He was certain that they would be asked to leave. Around every corner, there appeared to be a steely-eyed security guard, standing at attention, but nothing escaping their stern glare.

It felt like they were walking forever. They took a very narrow escalator up and up and up. One did get a commanding view of Yokohama as they got higher. All he could notice was the mechanical structures on the roof below and the loading dock for the museum. He thought he saw a soda cup resting upon one of the air conditioning units, but he just couldn't tell, but he definitely saw a chaise, ready for basking in the sun.

Then, at the top floor, they went through a maze of displays. He did stop when he saw a representation of a tea house from feudal Japan. A touch-screen monitor showed a demonstration of the tea ceremony and how one brewed up a pot in the correct manner.

Mahoro was transfixed. The ceremony was more involved than she thought, more like a ritual. Most people slammed down tea like it was something to get over with as fast as humanly possible. This was both delicate and elegant, from a less hurried time. With the demonstration complete, they continued on, passing by the stone sculpture artifacts and bone-handled daggers with nasty-looking blades.

When they got to a junction room, Suguru saw an alcove with two bench seats on either side of half a huge black stone. The surface had been polished to a deep shine, but it made no sense to him. He went over to ponder it closer.

"It's just a stone. What's it all about?" As he touched the surface, he felt that it was wet. But how? He peered closer to see that a thin skin of water collected on the surface and the water dripped down the sides to a collection slot that was around the base of the stone.

Mahoro read the small sign outside the door. "This is a meditative stone. The water comes up through a low-flow pump to give the impression of a highly polished surface. Hmmmm. It is restful."

"But it is also strange. I mean, it looks like half a rock. Or some modern art attempt, like sugar packets in a sandbox or a broken ladder atop a pile of crumpled newspapers."

They continued on until they found the pottery area. Suguru was surprised as to how delicate they all looked. Some items had been broken and were expertly refitted; others were as pristine as the day they were made. As they looked at the pieces, a museum staff member came wandering through.

"Hello, I am Hidaki Matsuri and I am a docent here. Are you here for a class assignment? Do you have any questions about the pottery?"

"Well, I am trying to do a paper on the history of pottery in Japan, but I just do not know where to start," said Suguru as he looked blankly. "It's kind of like 'Define the universe. Cite two examples.'"

The docent clasped her hands together in joy. "There are two ways you can approach this: you can look at the overall development of pottery, but that might be a bit too broad to attempt, or you can look at the developments within a certain era."

She walked over to a bowl with flame-style ornamentation. "In the Neolithic period, about 14,000 BCE, the earliest soft earthenware was made, and in 4000 BCE, typical coil-made Jōmon ware appeared, decorated with hand-impressed rope patterns. Jōmon ware developed a flamboyant style at its height and simplified itself in the later Jōmon period. The pottery was molded of clay rope and baked in an open fire. In about 400 BCE, Yavoi style earthenware appeared, which had a simple pattern or no pattern. Jōmon, Yayoi, and later Haji ware shared the baking process but had different styles of design."

She walked over to another display. Mahoro nudged Suguru. "Take notes. Lots of notes." Suguru pulled out his notebook and began to frantically write as they went to the next examples.

"In the 3rd to 4th centuries AD, the anagama kiln, a roofed-tunnel kiln on a hillside, and the potter's wheel appeared, probably brought by southern Korea immigrant potters. The anagama kiln could produce a stoneware, Sue ware, fired at high temperatures of over 1000 degrees C, sometimes embellished with accidental natural ash glaze. Contemporary Haji ware and Haniwa funerary objects were earthenware, like Yayoi." She pointed to a pot with a large bottom and a flared top, but a tiny neck, rather plain compared to the Jomon.

Suguru spoke up. "I think I would like to concentrate on funerary objects. They always seem to be in the best condition than that which was used every day."

Hidaki took them over to a display and Suguru gaped at them. "Those look like gyroids!"

"Gyroids? I…I don't understand," commented the docent.

"There is a video game called 'Animal Crossing' and one of the artifacts you get is called a gyroid. It makes music, but it looks like this." He quickly sketched up one. Hidaki looked at it, then looked at the earthenware figurine. "I know that this sketch is a bit more elaborate that what is here, but you can see where I got the idea."

"Yes, yes. I see what you mean," said Hidaki, stroking her chin

Suguru then snapped his fingers. "Now I have it. You have given me my paper! I even have the title for it. 'The Past is Always with Us.' Our cultural heritage is reinforced in everything we do, even if we are not aware of it." He went over to a porcelain turtle. "This looks just like Kappa in 'Animal Crossing'. And Redd, the Fox, is a bit of a trickster, as he is throughout the myths. Is there one of a fox?"

Hideki took him over to an exquisite bronze fox. Suguru shook his head in amazement. "It looks like him, especially with the big bushy tail." He turned to Hideki. "I know that you may have wanted to help on a paper on pottery, but I think this one will help me more. I want to thank you for your time. You have really directed me."

He turned to Mahoro. "We have a bit more outside research to do and then, we'll be back here." They quietly left the museum, Suguru now dragging Mahoro along. Hideki smiled and watched them leave, then made a note to herself.

"'Animal Crossing.' I will have to check this out."

After getting their hand stamped for reentry, Suguru went to the nearest bookstore and was able to get a player's guide for the game. "Look, it shows everyone. This will be a great paper. I can show that, whether consciously or subconsciously, our heritage is reinforced through modern means."

Mahoro looked concerned. "Well, it would be a different paper to do, but not what Shikijo-sensei expected."

"She also mentioned a trip to the Fermentation Museum in Tokyo, so she is open to anything. And I don't think anyone else will do this, so I don't have to worry about sharing a paper." Book in hand, they returned to the museum. Mahoro was amazed as he was scribbling away, looking at examples of ancient pottery, metalwork and paintings, tying the stories they told with the characters in this video game.

While Suguru wrote and wrote and wrote, Mahoro began to look at the displays and saw some samurai armor. As she examined the handiwork of the armor, the words of Commander Misato came back to her. He often felt that he was the reincarnation of a samurai and that he always answered the call of battle. Reading of their exploits, Mahoro was convinced that he may have had a past life as one.

Certainly the code of honor was one that the Commander believed in. However, she did have a hard time seeing him wielding a sword. But if his fishing skills were similar, perhaps it was not that far off the mark.

Before either of them had realized it, it was well past noon. This was brought home by a terrible growling sound that resounded throughout the museum. Mahoro looked over to see Suguru redden up as he checked his watch. "Perhaps we do need to stop for a break, besides, my hand is really cramping up." Mahoro came over to see page after page of wonderful notes and sketches.

"Let us eat at the museum café," said Mahoro.

"I would rather not, as I find the food is much like the artwork, lovely to look at, but valued too high for most people." Again, leaving the museum, they wended their way towards the restaurants, but they were all jam-packed. The Bay Stars game was being broadcast and practically every seat was taken, every diner filled beyond capacity.

Mahoro pondered their options. "The museum defaults as the best place to go and…"

"Oh. Suguru-kuuuuuuuuuuun………….." A lilting voice cut through the crowds. There was no mistaking who that was. They looked over and saw Shikijo, sitting at an outside table at a brewpub, huge stein of beer in hand, big screen TV blaring away. "Done so soon? What about some lunch?" She seductively patted a nearby empty seat.

Suguru looked to Mahoro. Mahoro sighed. "It is at least a place to sit and eat." Stepping over the railing, they sat down while Shikijo got the attention of the harried waiter.

"A Growler of Red and two "R" specials for my friends." He nodded as Shikijo cackled and moved close to Suguru, looking down at his work. "My, my, you certainly are the busy bee today. You will fly over to my flower, won't you?" She moved very close, her Bay Stars t-shirt nudging his head.

Mahoro spoke up. "Please, we are in public, Shikijo-sensei. You must act with decorum."

A huge roar came from the crowd as everyone turned to the TV set. The runner blew through the hold sign from the third-base coach, who was frantically waving, and chugged toward the plate. The throw was in time, but the catcher bobbled it and the runner crashed into him, sending the ball flying. The runner's leg slid over home plate.

As the catcher tried to recover the ball, another run came charging though, this one standing up. The crowd went nuts. Pretzels and popcorn flew everywhere and people hugged and high-fived each other. Shikijo was the only calm person in the place as she drained her beer.

"The Bay Stars are breaking open this game. It was a no score and they have now pushed three runs across the plate in the bottom of the fifth with none out." Mahoro looked about. People were clustered around TV set, radios, anything that would keep them up to date as to the unfolding events.

The waiter came back with a small keg of beer, two more mugs and two huge bowls of ramen. Shikijo proceeded to pour out the beer and present it to everyone. Mahoro was shocked that she was plying Suguru with alcohol. "This is shameful. What if we are caught?"

Shikijo was non-plussed. "Their attention is focused elsewhere. Watch this." She stood up and called out. "Who wants to see my boobies? Anyone? Nice fresh boobies!" She plumped herself up. Suguru turned crimson with embarrassment. Not a single person acknowledged what she had to say, even though it was apparent that Shikijo certainly could delivery on her request. Every head was focused on the TV.

Mahoro looked around frantically, but there would be no takers on this request. Shikijo turned to Suguru. "How about you? Would you like a Command Performance?" She thrust herself at Suguru, whose eyes got as big as his ramen bowl.

Satisfied with the turn of events, Shikijo sat back down. Mahoro was filled with both anger and embarrassment as to what happened. She stopped herself short, as she saw she was going to drink the beer before her. Shikijo clapped her on the back. "Where's your spirit? Have some!" She turned to Suguru. "And what about…..you?" She walked her fingers about the rim of the frosty mug, its amber color reflecting in the autumn sun. "Nice, tasty, magnificent beer."

Suguru hurriedly worked on his ramen dish as Mahoro saw her mug being directed towards her. She was uncertain what to do, as she never really drank before. But she was still amazed as to how Shikijo just could not hold her liquor, yet, she would gurgle it down anyway. She began to snicker to herself.

Shikijo, while having a swig, looked at Mahoro oddly. "And what is so funny?"

Mahoro held up her stein high. "Rehydration! I am born again!" Shikijo choked on her beer. She knew exactly what Mahoro was talking about. How does she seem to remember everything I have said? she thought. Clunking her mug down, she glared at Mahoro, who returned the favor. Before they could go further, another roar came from the crowd.

The pitcher had blazed an aspirin past the batter, who looked on in stunned amazement. The announcer intoned, "And at the top of the seventh, the Bay Stars lead by an incredible 7 to nothing!" The crowd roared as steins were raised and downed.

Mahoro got up and bowed to Shikijo. "We thank you for your hospitality, but we still have some work to attend to." Before she could leave, Shikijo took Mahoro by the wrist and plunked her back into the seat.

"You still have all this beer to drink and the game is hardly over. And one beer is never quite enough." She turned to Suguru. "And I would always grant YOU an extension." Letting out a huge laugh, her stein was emptied in record time. Putting her arm about Mahoro in a chummy style, she outlined the situation. "This game will be over about 1 pm, 1:30 at the latest. That certainly gives you enough time to head back to the museum and do a bit more work and, when you are done, the crowds will have moved on elsewhere to celebrate."

She pointed to the railway station from where they sat. "And seeing how close you are to transportation home, you have NO worries, so, enjoy yourself." She languidly stretched to show Suguru her delectable form. Suguru had a noodle go down the wrong pipe. As he coughed, he grabbed the nearest thing and drank it down, but it was his beer.

As they watched the game unfold, Mahoro tried to relax, but she was worried about Shikijo. She was drinking the contents of the Growler by herself and it wasn't going to be like at the house, where she could easily sleep it off. Still, they were all in a festive mood, cheering every Bay Star hit and every Bay Star put out. Soon, it was the top of the ninth.

"Well, who would have believed it, but the Bay Stars are a mere three outs from going to the Series. Not bad for a team that was considered out of contention as of the Break."

The crowd began to chant "Go team! Go team!" The first batter popped up and everyone roared. The second batter had a 13-pitch at bat and eventually whiffed. The third batter hit the first pitch right back to the pitcher, who gloved it for the out, but threw over to first base anyway.

The place went berserk. Suguru found himself buried deeply into a celebratory Shikijo's cleavage. Mahoro stared on and was the only person still seated. Was it even worth doing anything? During the post-game TV show, Mahoro used this as an opportunity to try and depart, but Shikijo was too lubricated and she was all over Suguru.

"But…but Shikijo-sensei. I still have work to do!" begged Suguru, as Shikijo was atop him, her breasts weighing heavily on his head.

"Nonsense. Just turn in anything and I will give it a good grade." She winked at him and sat down, then puckered her lips at him before falling flat on the table, snoring away blissfully. The both of them sighed. Mahoro tried to rouse her, but Shikijo was plastered. Rummaging through her purse, they found her return train ticket.

They staggered away from the brewpub, guiding a lurching Shikijo, and got into the train station. The wait was not too long and soon, they were speeding back to Hiryu. Shikijo was leaned up against Suguru on one side, and Mahoro sat on his other side.

Mahoro smiled. It was a good day, more or less. She was really happy that Suguru was able to do something with this paper, and in an area of interest where he would really do his best. Mahoro finally was able to relax; the train car swaying gently, the countryside streaking past, the warmth of Suguru's body next to her.

It was now the afternoon and Mahoro was struggling to stay awake, for Suguru's sake, but she was losing the battle and soon, her eyelids fluttered, too heavy for her to keep open. She fell asleep as well. Suguru was now uncertain what to do, especially when the two of them slowly slid down his sides and both of their heads ended up in his lap, little yellow birdies circling about.

"I had better get a good grade for this paper," he muttered, as the train gently rocked everyone to sleep.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 291 DAYS**

End Notes

I was at a museum recently, where there was some blowhard who was telling his young charges everything about everything and most of it was wrong, wrong, wrong. And it was loud as well. The best ideas come from real life

For those of you who are familiar with Yokohama (like, the both of you), you will notice that I have taken a lot of liberties with both the surroundings and the geography. Also, the Yokohama Bay Stars made it into their World Series in 1998, so that would set my time as well. Since we have been rather fluid with the timeline, this is anyone's guess as to what the actual year was this all happened. It wasn't until later that I was able to set the time more certain, but I have narrowed it down to potentially 1997 going into 1998.

And to that end, I KNOW that Animal Crossing is another four or so years away from release in Japan, and that would have been on the N64 system anyway.

In baseball, as aspirin is a pitch where the ball looks to be the size of an aspirin by the time it gets to the plate and, thus, difficult to hit. The opposite is a meatball, which is a slow, juicy pitch, right down the center of the plate. (This is not to be confused with grooving the ball, where the pitcher intentionally sets it up for the batter to hit it.) Oh, and to be honest, the year the Bay Stars went to the series, they went in going away. The playoff is my artistic license.

Again, I have to make accommodations for the Mahoro OVA. Approximately two days after that tale ends, she and Shikijo are partying it up, in a kind of a Girls Night Out. It just makes it tough when they mess with their own time line (and when I had this story planned far in advance of that tale). The night that they watch the fireworks, Suguru is already out of town, at the Buddhist retreat, having left the day before (and that comes from the manga). Day 267 is when I have Mahoro discover the ecchi magazine 'The Bounteous Maid at Work' in my fanfic. And I cannot change the date of that, as it works in tandem with the manga story that I have tied it to.

Lastly, a growler is a half-gallon of beer. This is usually the size of beer that you can take home from a brewpub for consumption at your domicile, but it also sounds good for some in-store designation, more than merely saying 'a pitcher'.


	9. Chapter 8 BAck To School Night

"Back To School Night"

by Furor Scribendi

2008 Scribendi Productions

September 12th

Suguru looked over to Mahoro. She was still dressed in her maid outfit, despite what was on the agenda for the evening. Mahoro was re-reading the newsletter from Hiritsu Municipal Junior High #4, reminding them that this was 'Back to School Night.'

"You know, you really don't have to go. I mean, it is just soooo boring, as the teachers drone on and on." He made his hand into a flapping mouth, mimicking his teachers jabbering at one another. Suguru was really trying to get out of it, but in the short time he had known Mahoro, she was not easily dissuaded by his efforts.

Mahoro looked up. "Nonsense. I think someone should show an interest in your work and your classes. I have only been down there twice: once, to deliver your dessert bento that day in July, when I forgot to pack it along, and again to hunt for ghosts in August, so I really didn't get a proper assessment of your school." Mahoro poured over the map of the facility and the schedule of classes Suguru took.

"So, Tanpa-sensei is your science teacher?"

"Uh…. No. He had health issues and had to leave for the year, so we got the replacement of Ryuga-sensei."

The paper crumpled in Mahoro's hand. It had been barely two weeks since the incident on the roof of the Green Star Refined Sake Building and she had been waiting for Ryuga to make the next move. But nothing happened….as of yet. But he was always a sneaky adversary, looking for a weak spot or a momentary lapse of awareness to strike.

But she was not going to change how she lived to accommodate his self-serving needs. She knew where he was and he knew where she was, so it was just an extended game of Shogi. The next move is yours, Ryuga.

As they left the house, Mahoro went up to Slash at the dog house. "We will be out for a few hours, so keep an eye on the place."

Slash looked up at her. "You know, perhaps I should come along. I mean, Ryuga is going to be there and he might try something."

Mahoro smiled. "Not with a room full of civilians. His fight is with me and he would never involve others in it."

"As you wish, but, just the same, I feel I should at least be in the background, in case he does something stupid. As your support mech, I need to be there. See, 'support' is part of my description." Slash seemed to be pushing the issue.

Besides, thought Suguru, how would we explain having this animal coming along with us? An android maid and her mech pet? All she would need is a giant flying hand and that would make for a wonderful family portrait.

Mahoro crouched down and hugged Slash. "I know that you are concerned and your efforts on the roof of the building that night were greatly appreciated, even though you got stripped. This is a different situation, however, so he will not be that provocative. Besides, who will protect Guri-chan?"

"Very well, but you know that you can call me at any time and I'll be there. I would love to give a bit of payback to him. Let's see how he likes getting stripped!" Slash's eyes glowed at the thought of a little revenge.

Mahoro gave him a gentle pat on the head. "Everything will be fine, so have no worries," With that, she and Suguru left the yard. Slash hopped up on the wall to watch them leave, shaking his head ruefully.

The last rays of the sun painted the sky a delicate coral as the two of them made their way to the school. Suguru was quiet, as he did not know what he could say or even what he should say. He knew that Mahoro was always trying to get into the school for some reason, but never had the right situation arise. Could an android have needs?

"Uh, have you ever wanted to go to school, Mahoro? I mean, attend as a student?" Suguru ventured. He wanted to say something, as the silence was annoying him.

Mahoro pondered for a moment. "Well, I think it would be nice. I did have a kind of school setting when I went to Vesper Housekeeping Services, but it really wasn't the same kind of feeling. I think it would be a lot of fun to go to a real school."

Suguru was silent. Yeah, it's lots of fun. When you forget your homework and the teacher calls on you the one time you are not prepared. Perhaps you prefer fending off the unwanted attention of an over-amorous teacher, who shall remain nameless. Or getting the snot pounded out of you during PE class. Yeah, school is just a blast.

As they neared the school, more and more people were showing up. The school itself was ablaze with lights. One person was handing out maps and offering information. He looked over to see Suguru and Mahoro show up. "Well, Suguru-kun. Nice to see you and who is this person acting _in loco parentis_?"

Suguru reddened a bit. He was always a source of attention from the other teachers. "Vice Principal Kabuto. It is nice to see you as well. This is…"

"I am Mahoro Ando and I felt that someone should make a presence on his behalf, and show an interest in his work." Mahoro bowed.

Kabuto looked at her. "But you are a mere slip of a girl, not much older than he is."

"That may be true, but I can still be a kind of parent for him. That is why I showed up."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, yes, that is good indeed. Well, first bell is going to ring, so you better head over to your class." He waved to them as Suguru took Mahoro to his homeroom class. The halls were bustling with activity, as there was about three times the number of people as normal. Hall monitors were more like traffic cops, pointing people in the right direction as parents jockeyed about.

Room 2-4 was absolutely packed when Suguru and Mahoro showed up. They saw Rin and her mother.

"Where's Miyuki?" asked Suguru.

"Probably still at the baths. Business before anything, right? Besides, it's not like she needs a real education."

"Rin!" chided her mother. "That's a terrible thing to say."

"But it's true! She is slated to take over the baths from her family and her father is not going to spend money like that 'needlessly'." She made quotes in the air when she said that word. "I even heard him say that to her and it was OK with Miyuki."

"Well, your father and I feel differently."

Rin gave her mother a peck on the cheek. "And I appreciate that. I mean, do I really want to spend my adult life being a teacher at this school? Puh-leeze." She made a face reserved for when you find the milk has gone sour or you have taken some nasty cough medicine.

The bell chimed and a voice came over the PA. "This is Principal Matati. I want to thank all the parents who have come out for Back to School Night. You should all be in your respective first period classrooms at this time. Sessions will last about 10 minutes. If you do not have your child's class schedule, please come to the office to obtain one. Now this is just a meet and greet, not a full parent-teacher conference. If you wish, that can be scheduled later. So, please enjoy your night."

When the principal finished talking, all was surprised to see that Shikijo was standing at her desk. Mahoro heard a couple of gasps as she was at the ready. She knew how to make an entrance. Her books were down on the desk and her name was on the blackboard. How did she move so fast and with such stealth?

"Good evening, everyone, I am Saori Shikijo and the homeroom teacher for Class 2-4. Although there has been a lot of activity and events occurring at the start of this class term, I have striven to maintain a sense of balance and structure to keep things on an even keel.

"Some of you are aware that Tanpa-sensei had to take an extended leave and, on the first day of class, one of our students was nearly run over by escaping crooks. That is not the kind of excitement we need our students to have to deal with."

Shikijo looked over everyone in the room. Although her eyes locked with Mahoro's, nothing came of it; she just passed around the room. Mahoro was aware that all the men were staring at her. Although the outfit she wore was a bit more demure for Shikijo than normal, it was still on the provocative side. She shifted about to showcase her figure.

"Now, I could go on about things, but I find it is best to turn the floor over to the parents and see if they have any questions. So, ask away."

One parent raised her hand. Shikijo looked at her, then consulted her desk book. "Yes, you are Kamori-kun's mother? Your question, please?"

"In the class work list, there is a cultural assignment to visit a museum in Yokohama? No later than October 1st? Why that date?"

"I want to give the students enough time to decide what aspect of Japan's history they wish to investigate and to see first-hand these artifacts. Sure, they could do an internet search, but I don't need Wikipedia croaked back at me." That generated a good laugh in the room.

"The museums in Yokohama are very good, they are closer than Tokyo and the way the Bay Stars are currently playing, it will be a quiet day indeed. Now, if you should find yourself in Tokyo, then by all means, avail yourself of that opportunity." She clasped her hands together in rapture. "If someone was willing to go to the Fermentation Museum and do a history of sake containers, well…."

Mahoro heard one of the men behind her whisper, "I would do anything for her, if I had her as a teacher!"

Another whispered back, "I'll take detention with her every day of the week! Writing on the board 100 times 'Dirty thoughts are wonderful'."

Suguru sensed that Mahoro wanted to ask a question, just to needle her, but she was waiting for the right time to do it. After Shikijo fielded a question about appropriate dress, Mahoro's hand shot up.

Even though Shikijo knew who it was, she went through this act of checking. "Yes, you are speaking for…Suguru-kun. And your question?"

"I am concerned about the amount of homework coming home. Even though this is the start of term, Suguru seems to have a great deal of homework to do. So far he as had to do a paper of the Meiji Restoration, a biography on Basho, a brief history of the Kuril Islands disputes and an understanding of the San Francisco Treaty. Yet, no other student in this class has received this level of work and not to this depth."

Shikijo's jaw dropped. She had hoped Mahoro had not noticed that. Her plan was to cut down on the amount of time that Suguru and Mahoro had together, giving more time for her to be with him. "Some students, I feel, can benefit from a more intense level of class work and these extra credit papers are noted in their grades." Shikijo was starting to sweat. The last thing she needed was for Mahoro to undermine her authority in front of everyone.

"So, it will even out as the year progresses? I mean, whole books have been done on the Meiji Restoration and you want a paper done in six days?" Mahoro's hair horns were going up and down. Shikijo noted this, so she turned on the charm and was quite glib

"Yes, it will even out. But I am challenging the students to go beyond and do more than they normally might. And…"

A voice came out over the PA system as chimes pealed forth. "This is Principal Matati. First period has now ended. You have five minutes to get to the next class. Just a mere five minutes, so consult your schedules as to where to go and thank you." Everyone got up and headed out the door. Shikijo smiled at everyone as they left. Mahoro shot a withering glare at her as she and Suguru left.

With the classroom emptied, Shikijo collapsed into her seat. "Well, that is one time I was saved by the bell."

The next few classes went well. She met Suguru's math teacher, a rather accessible man who tried to make math interesting and fun; the literature teacher, a mere slip of a girl, Mahoro felt she didn't possess the physical strength to pick up the textbook, but she knew her subject inside and out; in the art class, although the teacher was a bit of the gushing side, Mahoro was amazed as the lovely watercolors that Suguru had produced.

As they went to the next class, Mahoro felt herself tensing up. It was the science class and Ryuga was the teacher. She was not certain how much Suguru knew, but he had to be shielded from Ryuga's nefarious plans. As they entered the classroom, a knot of girls were surrounding Ryuga, although her entry did not go unnoticed by him.

As everyone got to their stations, the PA went on. "OK, you should all be at your fifth period class. Make certain that you are at the fifth period class, as we have had several lost parents wandering about."

Mahoro looked at Ryuga. He did look sharp in his suit. He stared back at her with equal intensity. "Good evening. I am Ryuga Tou. As many of you are aware, Tenpa-sempai had to leave quickly on a personal matter and I am here to take his place…"

Mahoro wondered if Ryuga had maneuvered this scenario. The tale was that Tenpa's wife had sustained a particularly serious injury and needed specialized treatment for that. It was not beyond Ryuga to do something like that, especially since he had a 'purpose'.

"I know that many of you were quite familiar with Tenpa-sempai, but I hope to fill his shoes and give that caliber of education that you expect from…" Ryuga stopped as Mahoro raised her hand, getting his attention. What is she doing? he thought. "Yes, you have a question?"

"If you don't mind, could you tell us of your educational background and teaching experience, please? I know I would like to understand where you came from and how well you know science." Mahoro smiled at him. There was a murmur of consent in the classroom.

Ryuga was ready for this. "Certainly. I graduated two years ago from Tokyo University with a teaching degree. I spent that first year at Holy Forest Academy, but the notoriety the school was receiving made it very difficult to keep the students focused on their work. Although I was considered an exemplary teacher and offered a position there, I declined.

"Last year, I taught at Yagami High School. Again, I received high praise, but budget cuts meant that, as the last hired, I was the first fired. I felt lucky to be able to get a new school that is a bit on the sedate side so I can focus on teaching students, relatively free from external distractions."

Well, he is certainly prepared for anything, thought Mahoro, as Ryuga continued. "I realize that many of the students look forward to have Tenpa-sempai as their science teacher and that it was a big jolt to many to see me in his place. I want to assure all the parents that I am dedicated to the same principles that Tenpa-sempai is dedicated to and I am here to stay."

Mahoro heard one of the girls whisper, "See, Mom, I told you he was dreamy."

Mahoro continued. "I am sure you understand our concerns. A couple of years ago, we did play Musical Teachers with the students in the Business Math class and those teachers all said the same thing about being here to stay. Many of us feel that it was a lost year for those students."

Another parent spoke up. "Yeah. I mean three teachers in four months and it seemed they had to unlearn and relearn to the point that they got nothing from the class."

Ryuga tightened his jaw. Mahoro was certainly pressing her advantage and all he could do was take it. "Obviously, we have no way of knowing what the future will bring, and I am sure that you will not begrudge me a kind of confidence that I will be here for the full school year. Suguru-kun!" he barked.

Suguru immediately stood upright, arms at side, "Yes, Ryuga-sensei."

Ryuga wrote a chemistry problem on the blackboard. "And what happens with the oxygen molecule here in this equation?"

"It combines with carbon, sir. The same effect occurs with other gold alloys in the same way." Everyone was duly impressed as to how crisp and precise the response was.

"Thank you. You may be seated. I do run a tight ship around here, I admit that. But a disciplined mind, along with the knowledgeable mind, will take your students far. I am here to help in those goals." The parents began to applaud.

Mahoro heard comments around her: "That's just what Ryuki needs", "Finally, a teacher not afraid to teach", "He is dreamy, Sasami", "I am truly impressed." Not if you really knew what he was like, groused Mahoro. The PA came on again.

"Ding ding, ding ding. Fifth period has ended. Please move along to your sixth period class. Again, you have five minutes to get there." Several parents grouped around Ryuga, giving Mahoro and Suguru a chance to leave by the back exit, but not fully unnoticed.

In the hallway, Suguru turned to Mahoro. "So, do we have to go to sixth period? I mean, it's PE and you don't have to see me…"

"No. I have gotten what I wanted, so we shall go home." Suguru looked stunned, but was not going to argue. As they left the school, Ryuga looked down at them from his classroom. He was stuck here for at least another 25 minutes and potentially longer, so any confrontation he wanted to have with her needed to wait.

Mahoro then spun about and looked up at Ryuga, glowering. Their eyes connected for a moment, then he moved away from the window. Suguru wondered what was going on.

"Is there something the matter?" he asked.

Mahoro smiled. "No, nothing, I just thought I heard some insect buzzing about my head. You know how annoying that can be. Let's go home. I'll make some yakisoba for you." As they walked home through the cool night, Mahoro was lost in herself and her thoughts. The evening may be done, but this whole situation is not over. It may call for some more demonstrative action on my part. Where did I store my derringer?

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 311 DAYS**

End Notes

I really wanted to date this little tale for 9/11, but a story I wrote in the last go-around had Shikijo picking up Shiori from her school and planning an evening with her parents on 9/11, so I had to shift about. I may go back and bump that tale's date ("An Evening With…Shikijo") to 9/9 to take advantage of the double meaning of this date for the new story.

Now, I do not know how the Japanese school system works. I do know that teachers drop in on their students at home (we have seen it in "Mahoromatic" and I saw it done in "Great Teacher Onizuka") but I also know that in the US, there is a "Back to School Night".

Where I live, it was always done in early September and since the gang is all back in school by this time, it allowed me to have Mahoro playing the "parent", while fending off both the Shoto leanings of Shikijo and having to deal with the resentment of Ryuga.

We also know at this time that there are a lot of questions being asked by Ryuga about Suguru, so the suspicions are being raised. From here, we are about two days away from when Mahoro comes on campus in disguise and pulls a gun on Ryuga and less than two weeks away from the actual fight at the abandoned hospital.

I also had a problem with what Ryuga taught. The anime (which I base about 95% of my decisions on) has him as a science teacher, but in the manga, he is a cooking teacher (but somehow still ends up teaching science). And the two schools he taught at are the schools from the animes "GTO" and "School Rumble".

Another concern is that they act so courteous to each other in Season One, Episode 8 "The Owner of a Perfect Heart", but this puts a kind of lie to that, as Suguru is here when they kind of meet. Or perhaps he just considers it a non-meeting meeting and the real "meeting" is at his little soiree two days before the big fight.

For those who have seen the anime, Mahoro and Slash both make an appearance on campus (her in a terrible disguise) and she pulls a gun on Ryuga. It looks to be a single or double shot hand gun, not much more than a derringer. I always wondered what kind of damage it could have done to Ryuga.

For those of you who have read the manga, during the infamous Ninja Panty Bandit chapter (which should have been an anime episode), Mahoro calls upon two Vesper support mechs for the first and only time, to help hunt down this bandit. One was a dragon (V1046 R13 Vimana) and the other was a giant flying arm (V1046 RX Tatsjin).

Since they did not make that particular episode for the series, my reference is an acknowledgement of that character (if a hand CAN be a character).

We see Rin's father in the manga, but not in the anime and we NEVER see Rin's mother anywhere. I will mention her again (in passing, however) in another tale.

Rin's school comment is intentional. For those who did not read the manga, she turns into Shikijo (actually, she becomes like the Dean of Women or something more than a teacher), whereas Shikijo becomes the PRINCIPAL! But she has not changed her Shoto leanings and is still trying to pick up the younger male students. What makes it so funny is that Rin has to "discipline" Shikijo by whacking her with her breasts (which are now bigger than Shikijo's).

And since I do not really recommend reading Book 8 in the series (far too depressing), I will spell out the future for you.

Hamaji and Minawa get married and they have a happy marriage, especially when the bulk of the cybernetic devices are eventually removed from her body.

Miyuki marries Kawahara and helps him operate the family business (a liquor store). You see the store at the end of the bath house episode, when Mahoro out-lasts Shikijo in the sauna. Shikijo "restores" herself by getting smashed in front of the store, which is why Kawaraha asks her to please go home.

Chizo becomes a famous author, but we do not know if she is married or not, nor are we aware of what she writes about. We can assume a cookbook or restaurant book of some caliber, but that is not really explained

Suguru's life is a mess, whether in print or on film.

The Fermentation Museum no longer exists, although at the time this story takes place, it did. It was later absorbed into the Food and Agriculture Museum, connected to the Tokyo University of Agriculture. The FAM was opened on April 6, 2004, which celebrated the 110th anniversary of the founding of TUA.

Yokohama is to Hiryu as to Irvine is to downtown Los Angeles, about an hour's drive (depending on traffic). Well, as least in the location I have placed the city. Remember, Mahoro can drive to it quickly and Shikijo can keep pace on her scooter.

The Yokohama Bay Stars are roughly equivalent to the Texas Rangers, just another baseball team, although the Whales did win it all in 1998.


	10. Chapter 9 Hot Hentai Nights

"Hot Hentai Nights"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

September 29th

Suguru awoke with a start.

SPLURT!

Not again, he thought. He closed his eyes tight and clenched his teeth as his body was wracked with spasms. It was too late to do anything about it, so he had to let the events take their course. But it seemed to be taking forever to complete. He was filled with twin feelings of agony and ecstasy. Stop! Just stop! He pleaded with himself, but one could never argue with nature, as all these sensations washed over him like a burst dam.

Finally, after an eternity of activity, things calmed down. He flung open the bed covering and lay there in the dark. He looked over to the clock. 2:30 am. Last night, it happened at 2:15. He gathered his wits. He knew what came next, but he didn't want to address it. His right hand slowly crept to the waistband of his pajama bottoms, as he was hoping things were not as bad as they felt from this side.

Holding at the threshold, stroking the elastic demarcation line of north and south with his index finger, he extended his little finger past the border and down inside to…oh, yeah. This one was a bigger mess than last night's and that one was a veritable pond of problems. What was the current record? Three times in four nights. What was going on?

Sighing, he fumbled for his glasses with his left hand and slowly got up. His other hand grasped his crotch area, holding it all in place, as he negotiated the dark room. At least the place was clean; he did not have to worry about crashing over debris or getting lost in a sea of fast food containers strewn about.

He gingerly opened a dresser drawer to look for another pair of pajamas. Oh, no! He did not pick up his wash, so they were still down in the laundry room. All he had was a super, ultra-emergency pair, but they were a few years old, so not only would they be smaller, they had a design of airplanes on them. Well, beggars can't be choosers.

Grabbing the change of clothes, he padded to his door and drifted it open ever so quietly. His listened intensely, but no sound could be heard. He made his way to the bathroom, closing that door. She shut one eye as he turned on the lights. Peeling off his soiled garments, he took a quick bath. He really soaped up that area and rinsed it down a few times, then vigorously dried it. He was having problems keeping that one eye closed the whole time, but he needed that to happen.

He got into the pajamas, but they were a bit on the snug side; the cuffs also ended up high on his ankles, as if he was ready for a flood. He had to wash both halves of his pajamas, as it would look odd that only the bottoms were in the machine. Bundling up the old pajamas and the towel, he straightened up the bathroom and turned off the light.

Opening up his other eye, he was now acclimated to the dark, so he could head downstairs with no troubles or hesitations. He learned that trick on TV, as that was why pirates wore an eye patch, even if they had two good eyes: one eye was already ready to go from a bright environment to a dark one without loss of perception and to be ready to fend off an attack.

He walked near the wall, so he would not squeak any of the steps themselves. That's all he needed: Mahoro to catch him. He just did not want to explain what he was doing up as such an early time. "Gosh, Mahoro, my pajamas were feeling creepy, so I got up in the dead of night to give them a quick wash, so I could go to bed in a refreshed state." That tale was weak by anyone's standards.

At the base of the stairs, he looked about and went into the laundry area. The big concern was the filling of the washer. It was going to make a lot of noise and there may not be a way to muffle that. And he would have to come down later on to take care of the drying part of it as well. Mahoro was not going to accept the notion that she forgot to complete the laundry, nor would she believe that she left the clothes to dry on the line outside all night long.

That part of the puzzle was going to be a tough one to crack, but there was no way he was going to just heave another pair of befouled bedwear into the hamper and hope for the best. Mahoro had to know that something was afoot, even if she didn't say anything to him about it. She was a sharp cookie and knew when things were just not making sense. If he could just sneak this past her, just this one time, he would avoid any embarrassing entanglements. Just as he opened the lid, the lights came on behind him.

He froze, the load of laundry in his hands. Trapped!

"Suguru….."

The voice was light and lyrical; not of a disparaging tone. He turned to see Mahoro standing there. Just standing there. She was in her floral print pajamas and slippers. She looked so cute, especially with her hair down and not tied up as during the day. Her arms were not crossed in a display of displeasure, just a look of concern and, perhaps, bewilderment. She extended one hand towards him.

"Please, start the laundry. Then come to the table. I'll make some tea for us." He heard the whistle of the kettle. How long has she been standing there? How long had she known he was doing all of this? How quiet was he going to have to be to ever get anything past her?

Once the laundry was started, he slouched into the kitchen, dragging out a chair and flumping into it. At the table was Mahoro, a pot of tea and two cups. The smell of hibiscus filled the room. Surugu wanted to feel upbeat, as the hibiscus tea had such a soothing aroma, but he felt he was going to get a lecture on him being deceptive.

"Surugu, all I want you to do is listen. That's all. Just listen." Mahoro moved the tea cup closer to him as she began. "Growing up is difficult. Just as you get used to things happening in a certain way, it seems it all gets changed about. You are now of an age where these nocturnal emissions are going to be happening. This is not something to be embarrassed about; it is all part of being human.

"Statistics show that by the time a male reaches the age of 16, all of them have had this happen to them at least once. You cannot avoid it and no one is immune. The real concern lies in that there is no way to understand what triggers it. You can go years and years and have nothing, and then, you get a cluster of them, followed by nothing for years and years."

Suguru sipped his tea, but his head was still down. He appreciated what Mahoro was trying to do, but it was still a feeling he wasn't ready to handle. The washer was busy at work, now into the first rinse as Mahoro continued.

"One thought is that a full bladder may put pressure on the prostate and this sets off the chain of events. Tight clothing can be a factor, as well as general tension and anxiety. Even the warmth of the bed can be a cause. The ironic aspect about all of this is that males seldom have an erotic dream when it happens. You could be dreaming about playing basketball or rowing a boat and you still get a release."

Suguru gave a wry smile. That was not his case. His dreams were intensely erotic and they all involved Mahoro.

The first dream had him going grocery shopping. As he passed the chilled food units, he saw Mahoro lying there. All she had on was her maid headpiece and a pair of socks. The rest of her was totally, TOTALLY naked. Every inch of her gorgeous body was there on display. He just gaped at her, lying there like so much food. She sat upright and looked to him.

"I am so glad you finally got here. Come in with me." She took his hand and he floated over next to her, his clothes disappearing in the process. He lay next to her and felt the warmth of her body against the chill of the unit. It was an odd juxtapositioning of things. He did not even get a chance to do anything with her in his dream before he exploded.

He looked up as Mahoro continued to speak. For an android, she knew an awful lot of information about people. "Now, another area of concern is the amount of the emission. It has been proven that these releases can generate up to twice the normal amount, making things seem messier. This is due, in part, to inhibitions.

"When people are…intimate…there is still a lot of tension going on and the mind seems to put up a lot of roadblocks and impediments. Because you are asleep, all of these worries are not there. Kind of like driving a race car on the track alone; it's only your car, so you can do whatever you feel."

Whatever you feel, eh? His second dream was certainly like that. He was walking around downtown and found a shop in the base of a huge oak tree. It advertised itself as a custom fitted bra shop, so he HAD to take a look inside.

As he snuck in, he observed the back of a woman. She was topless, but from his angle, he could see that she was possessed of a bust line that would not quit. He saw the sides of her expansive glands go well beyond her body. He just had to see these from the front.

The fitter came in, oblivious to his presence, with an absolutely enormous bra and began to dress the mystery woman. As it was put on, the woman commented that this was only a temporary bra, as she had one more operation to go to achieve the size she truly wanted. "This is for my man and I would do anything for him. He deserves it," she commented.

With the bra in place, she began to torque her body about, so she could see herself from every angle, but her face remained hidden. Even this bra was not big enough, as the elastic was stretched to its absolute limit. The wide straps were now very thin, as all elements struggled to keep her supported. When he was presented with her body profile, he was stunned at to how large she was. It looked like a blimp docking at the mooring tower. And she was going to get larger? He had to see her from the front. As he tried to sneak around, the woman then turned about.

It was Mahoro! As she gave a gasp of surprise, the bra exploded off of her and showed her full, feminine features: soft, round, perfect and immense. Suguru grimaced. He thought THAT one was a mess.

Mahoro responded to his reaction. "I know. You probably don't really want to hear all this. You are hoping it will go away and that we never speak of it again, but your body has other notions and it is best to understand and be prepared for what may happen. I mean, I know a dream feels like it takes only 20 minutes to happen, but it can occur over several hours.

"Because you are taking time before release, this gives your body a big opportunity to marshal its forces, so when the inevitable happens, you feel as though you have spilled a bucket upon yourself."

Bucket. Kind of like the dream he had tonight. He 'awoke' to find himself in a barn, covered with hay, as if he had been sleeping. He was naked, but had no idea as to how he got there, where he was or where his clothes had gotten to. But that was dream logic for you. As he started to get up to look for some clothes, the milk maid came in, so he settled himself back into the hay to hide.

The maid was Mahoro, but her hair was done in long braids, cascading about her shoulders. She was wearing an outfit that exposed her shoulders and a tiny bit of cleavage and the dress itself swirled about her ankles, showing her petticoats. She carried a bucket and a stool and approached a nearby cow. "It's time for you to get milked, Bessie," she called out. She set up the bucket and stool and began to milk the cow, leaning against the cow with her body.

"Oh, Bessie, you sure feel soft and warm." Mahoro pulled her top down and freed her breasts, then began to rub herself against the cow's side. She moaned in appreciation as she rotated about the cow while still milking her. As he watched all this, he got an enormous erection, sprouting through the hay like a lightening rod. He did not move to cover it up or hide it, as Mahoro might hear him and that would make things worse, but it could not be missed. He tried to figure out a way to keep his presence a secret, pushing himself deeper into the hay.

Mahoro turned about and stared right at him. She came over, her glorious breasts exposed for him to see, rising and falling with every breath. Crouching down, so close he could smell her perfume, she parted the hay from about his manhood, and then parted the hay from about his face to stare at him with a sense of amusement.

"What have we here? An unwanted guest? I know exactly how to deal with you!" She stood tall and hiked up her dress to reveal that she wore no underwear. She then positioned herself over him, ready to impale herself. That was when he lost it and woke up into his current dilemma.

Why was he having these dreams? Did he see Mahoro in such a manner? She was a friend. In the short time she had been here, she brought a stability and comfort he had not known for years. Was this how he repaid that consideration? Could it have something to do with the confrontation with Ryuga a few days earlier? All those fears and loneliness had come back full force.

He did sustain a severe concussion, so there could be some damage he was not aware of. He had heard the tale of a rather prim woman who got in an accident while riding one of San Francisco's cable cars and turned into a raging nymphomaniac because of it. Could something like this happen to him?

He never had dreams about his friends. Well, he did, but it was more along the lines of Chizo eating all of his lunch at school or coming to class on the last day and having to take a test he was not prepared for, but never anything so lustful and prurient. Not even Riho Asaoka got this level of treatment.

Suguru wanted to cry. He did not know what to do. He couldn't seem to make these dreams stop and he wanted them to stop. He was out of control. Suddenly, he felt Mahoro's hands on his, warm and nurturing.

He looked up to see a smile of hope from her. "I know. It would be better if your father could have spoken to you about this. He would have a deeper understanding as how to explain it best to you."

Suguru looked into the distance. He did love his father, but all he ever told him about was ecchi, as to how men were filthy creatures and there was nothing that could be done about it, so it was kind of OK to look at those magazines. And what magazines! That is where he first ran into Riho.

Was that his problem? Did all those years of staring and staring and staring finally catch up with him? Was he truly unable to look at a person and not be filled with perverted abandon? Was Mahoro merely a collection of the 'fun parts'? Were things so beyond the beyond that he would never be 'normal'?

"You are not in this alone." Mahoro's words brought him back to reality. "I never want you to feel that you have to hide this or lurk in corners, trying to protect me from these discoveries. It is all of a temporary nature and will abate. I am more than your maid. I am your friend."

The washer indicated that the cycles had all been run. Suguru drank down the last of his tea as Mahoro got up. "I will hang that out tomorrow morning…well, later today, so it can stay in the washer for a couple of hours. I think it is time for you to get yourself back to bed." As Mahoro moved past Suguru, he reached out and took her hand. She stopped and turned towards him. He stared up at her.

"Thank you for that, Mahoro. It is nice to know that you will be there for me." He then lowered his head.

"Yes. Yes." Mahoro looked sad for a moment, but she would not let Suguru see that. "I'll be here, as long as possible."

Suguru stood up and went back to his room. Mahoro called out to him. "Those pajamas seem a bit snug. Would you like to take up your clean pair and change out?"

Suguru yawned. "No. I'll be fine. It's only for a couple of hours anyway. I'll be asleep the whole time." In his room, he crawled into bed. It already had the makings of a long day. The bed sure feels warm, he thought. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he went right out into Dreamland.

He was at his house, letting himself in at the end of the day. "Mahoro, I'm home."

He heard her call out. "Oh, Suguru! I'm so glad you're here." She stepped out from the kitchen to show herself incredibly pregnant. He stared on as she moved in such a way that she was oblivious to the size of her swollen belly.

As she stood in front of him, she unbuttoned her maternity dress so he could see her impending motherhood. He had no idea as to how she got this way, but he understood completely that it was his son she carried.

He reached out and touched her, noting how warm she felt and seeing how large she was. It was as if she had swallowed a weather balloon. He knelt down to get a better look at things, seeing that her navel was now an outie. As he gazed at her, she began to unbutton more of her dress until she was naked in front of him. She was absolutely radiant, practically glowing with happiness. Even though he saw that her breasts had expanded, so they were as big as her tummy, he was filled with a sense of calm and inner joy. He could feel it becoming more and more overwhelming. He was….happy.

"Do you think I'm still pretty?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer she might hear. She spun about; trying to make sure she could please him. He looked at every curve and swelling and part of her body. She was honestly unashamed of her nudity, proud of her pregnancy, reveling in her beauty. She was just so beautiful to him. A wonderful sense of completeness surrounded him.

"You are always pretty to me. After all, you are my friend. One reason why I took you as my bride." Tears in her eyes, Mahoro ran over to hug Suguru and embraced him. He looked into her eyes and gave her a passionate kiss. His feelings were surging and growing through him, building and building until….

Suguru awoke with a start.

SPLURT!

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 293 DAYS**

End Notes

The odd this about this story is that I had not even considered doing something like this, until I went to the Los Angeles Anime Expo. That convention is an absolute zoo, with 20,000 people milling about and making for an intriguing time.

The big gathering spot is the Vendor's Hall, where they sell everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! Is it in anime? There is an excellent chance they have it and you can get it there. So, you do have your ecchi/hentai dealers, as well as those who vend doujinsin.

For those of you who do not know, we would call it "fan art", but it is more than that. They actually create and sell magazines of characters doing….things. If it is an anime character, they will be doing actions of a sexual nature. The thing I found funny in that of all the books I looked at, Sailor Moon lead the way, followed closely by Tenchi Muyo.

In fact, any story with a predominantly female cast got the treatment, although ANY female could easily get the call. And I only know what they had! What if there were things I DIDN'T see? Naruto, Dragonball, Bleach, Case Closed, Pokemon (especially with Team Rocket), xxxHolic, Code Geass, whatever was out there as an anime. First, it was art; now, it's filth.

So, Sturgeon's Law is in full effect here and there are people who are short on both ability and style. Some folks go all out and produce professional-grade artwork, but those magazines were reflective in cost for that effort.

I came across some of this Mahoromatic Fan Art, but the bags are all sealed, so you really are getting a pig in a poke. Most of it was going for $12 to $16 each (where it sold in Japan for 400 yen or about $4), but I was able to score on four books at $6 each.

The funny thing about this X-rated art is that it is censored. What? Censored porn? Yup. There are black lines or blotted out section, so you never see the bits, only an implication as to what is happening. Oh, breasts are breasts, so you see those in their full glory.

What got me about the artwork is how "clean" it was. Clean in the sense at to style. It was not a detailed drawing, just line work and minimal shading. I did see a rather interesting "group" shot of them, but looking more like if they were "normal" people and not anime art.

I cannot read Japanese, (if you think my Portuguese stinks, my Japanese is revolting), so I have no idea what they were all saying, but I found it odd that in two of the four magazines I bought, Shikijo was killed. In both instances, Mahoro shot her. (It was in a playful manner, so no blood and guts about, but still…..)

What made my particular story hard is how to describe things of a sexual nature but not come off as prurient or pandering. Things like this happen, but I have never seen this issue addressed or broached anywhere in "standard" mode. And since most people cannot write smut anyway, I did not want to appear to be a sour lemon or an off-taste lime.

Sure, I am mere minutes away from accessing the internet and finding all the hentai I can stagger under, where there is no censorship, where every nook and cranny is exposed for me to drool over, where the participants are immensely proud of their immense appendages, where any and every kind of peccadillo is gloriously showcased, so I can…..

Sorry, but the bulk of this stuff is boring and made worse by a poor approach and a callous attitude to it all. Just because you can draw someone doing the nasty doesn't mean you are doing it for the best of reasons. ("Look! Look! Kim Possible and Mira Nova are in deep space and…..")

The title of this piece comes from an after-hours show at Fanime (a local anime convention). From midnight until six am, they show near-endless hentai. What makes the whole thing so funny is the logo they use to promote this particular event is Mahoro herself, exhorting the fact that "Dirty thoughts are bad!"

The cable car accident that Suguru refers to happened in 1964 when Gloria Sykes was injured and began having all this sex. She sued for $500,000, got $50,000 and disappeared. She is still alive, now 66, but declines to discuss the event.

The date is about a week after the climactic battle with Ryuga at the abandoned Hiryu Hospital, so there are some unsettled feelings about all of this. And, as a side-bar, have you noticed how Japan is seemingly littered with abandoned hospitals? In the time since I have seen "Mahoromatic", I must have come across five or six other animes that have something occurring in an abandoned hospital.

That is a rather large chunk of real estate to walk away from. I know, you have seen buildings like that (in my town, I have a grocery store building that has sat idle for 35 years) but it still seems odd to me.

At the time I wrote this, as part of the "Second Season", this story was the last in line (Story 44), but was the first one completed. That's the odd thing about writing. Some tales are a near-Sisyphean task to complete; others are a roller-coaster of ease. Go figure.


	11. Chapter 11 An Evening WithRin

"An Evening With…Rin"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

October 19th

The hot water of the tub did nothing to ease Rin's anxiety. She sat so low in the water, her hair would have been soaked. She had put that up in a bun, atop her head, a head filled with conflicted feelings and unbalanced self-esteem.

She stared ahead blankly, pondering the course of action of the last few days and how it all went south so quickly. And it went south for two big reasons. Rin stared down at the two big reasons, not that they could be missed. They could never be missed.

She had heard her mother speak of the curse that the women of this family had: developing breasts at an early age and having them be enormous. Her mother was that way, as well as Rin's older sister. An aunt and a grandmother on her mother's side were the same, and on her father's side was his mother, his sister, his grandmother and a cousin. She was doomed.

She remembered when she was much younger and playing dress-up with her mother's clothing. She tried on her bra, but it was far too big for her at the time. She stuffed a couple of balls into it to make it fit and paraded about for her parents. She thought her father was going to die laughing, but her mother made a face, a face that Rin understood many years later, a face of consternation.

She had never wanted to wear one for real. She was in fifth grade when the school nurse told her she HAD to start wearing a bra. Rin resisted for the longest time, as she felt that if she started to wear one, she lost. And not just a simple 'you lose', but a kind of deep spiritual loss. She did not want to concede defeat in this arena, but it was inevitable.

The fitting was bad enough, as she was poked and prodded, while they tried to find the right size for her. Once that was done, then came the humiliation of actually getting it. All the bras they had were lacy and feminine. She was a fifth grader! At a time when most girls were still playing with dolls, here she was, with her mother, getting fitted for her first bra. And no training bra, either; a real, big-girl bra. She had to be shown the proper way to put it on. At the time, she thought it was the worst thing ever, as it meant that she was growing up.

Hah, she laughed. More like growing out. She had always been athletic, but they just got in the way of things. She became the center of unwanted attention, especially from the boys. She had to be moved to a "safer" desk, as the boys would be very cruel and try to snap her bra. To make matters worse, the girls hated her for it.

While they all vied for the attention of the boys, the boys all flocked to see her, clumping around her desk like a reverse harem. Sae Kashiwagi, who she thought was a friend, made things worse for her, spreading those horrible tales and malicious comments. At least she transferred out to a different school at the end of sixth grade. Sae Cotic was more like it. How could anyone be that evil?

A knock on the door disturbed her reverie. "Rin, honey, you'd better come out or you are going to turn into a gigantic prune!"

"I'll….I'll be right out, mother." She arose from the bath and stepped out, toweling off. It had taken some time for her to be able to even to that. When the Ninja Panty Bandit struck in August, he had poked her breasts and made a comment that how could such a little girl have such big breasts.

That bothered her more than having him see her naked or even stealing her underwear. As she dried off, she had to make sure every part was attended to. It was a bit of a hassle to have to hoist herself up and dry that line right at the base of her breasts. But if she didn't, it got rather rank. She thought more and it deepened her depression.

Then came that Crab Robot. She was happy to be alive, but she was the first person to get her suit sheared off. She wasn't certain what made her angrier: being naked on the beach or losing that really cute suit. The police station took a bad situation and made it incredibly worse. It took forever to get clothes. Forget decent clothes, just any clothes. She ended up wearing a large set of pajamas that had ended up in the lost and found.

How could someone lose a pair of pajamas? How could you not retrace your steps to find them? And they were men's pajamas, so they absolutely hung on her. The shirt cuffs came down to her knees and the pants portion turned into slippers for her. It was simply mortifying, as she had to hold everything in place to prevent more disasters.

After she was dry, she stared at herself in the mirror. But no matter what she stared at, her eyes went right back to her breasts. What made this day even more depressing were the comments from Chizo and Miyuki. They did not seem to understand what a genuine burden breasts could be and more of a problem the bigger they became. They would certainly find out over the next two years, as they began to grow up. Maybe.

Both of the girls were of slight builds and Chizo was such a delicate person, she might never really grow up physically. She could always be the size of a Hobbit. Perhaps that was why she wanted breasts: so she could be more of a woman. As if that really made a difference in the core person.

It seemed the only one with their head screwed on right was Mahoro. Now there was someone who was mature and responsible. She did not get sucked into this notion of "being more of a woman". In fact, Mahoro had a wonderfully delicate figure. She had snuck a peek or two at her while they were at the bathhouse.

She was an excellent poster girl about how you don't need white radishes hanging from your chest to be appealing. Rin got herself dressed as she replayed the events of the past two days, trying to find the flaw that kept victory from her.

She tried to tell Miyuki and Chizo that it was a curse to have big breasts, but she sensed they only fixated on her breasts while she talked. She felt as those the two were fooled by a society standard. They had the notion that big breasts were wonderful and that any woman who said it was a hassle was merely lying, to dissuade them from a dream.

Right. As if the Big Breast Brigade would only allow a certain amount of ladies into the 'organization'. You would have to be able to measure up to their standards or you'd be flat busted at the end of the day Yes, another of those secret societies, designed to permit only those of class and breeding to be a member while the rest….

Those so 'refused' had to look elsewhere to try and enlarge their credentials. And it's not liked those crazy machines worked anyway! She actually had done some research and found that they only offered a temporary, marginal expansion.

What a lot of them did was draw more blood into the surrounding tissues and with this engorgement, it gave size, but once things got back to 'normal', there was no genuine or permanent growth. You might as well have a rubber bladder put in to you and pump air into them, like what James of Team Rocket did in that Pokemon episode. That did make her chuckle up a bit when she saw it.

A lot of bust exercises strengthened the muscles behind the breasts, so you jutted out more, and it gave the _illusion_ of size, but, again, no real growth.

Breast creams certainly made your skin softer and smoother, but any kind of emollient would do that, especially if Vitamin E is part of the ingredients. And it was a rubefacient as well, so blood was drawn into the surrounding area, and, again, giving that look and feel of increased girth, but you would have to do it all the time and you could not build off of the past, as it was not permanent.

And there was the mechanical approach. One system used water therapy to stimulate the breasts, a kind of portable Jacuzzi. But, as always, gains were temporary and blah blah blah. But THAT machine; the one that Chizo and Miyuki looked at in the magazine, that was the oddest idea of them all.

It was just a glorified vacuum cleaner, working on the suction approach. She almost wished it DID work, so they would know what a real problem it was and….Rin started to laugh. A thought had crossed over her mind.

Chizo with breasts! She was such a tiny person anyway. What if she had twin zeppelins? She would be falling over all the time! Every time she went to eat, she would be shoving the food away from her, across the table, as her breasts beat her to the plate.

Then Rin thought for a moment. What if she was going about this the wrong way? What if she could get Shikijo-sensei to become a good example of being a bad example? I mean, the swimsuit she wore that day (and was there even enough there to be classified as a swimsuit?) just flaunted her body all OVER the place. The only reason Rin stared at her was a mere physics concern: how was it staying on? Dynamic tension? Gravity? Glue?

It almost looked like an errant breeze would render her exposed for all to see. Could they not see how stuffed she was into her clothes? She had a good fashion sense, but a lousy presentation concept. Perhaps it would have been better if she had neon arrows, flashing on and off, drawing attention to her enormous carriage.

Rin shook her head 'no'. She would be personally mortified if she ever got that large. Unlike Shikijo, she did not like that caliber of attention and she had heard all the snide comments, muttered under people's breath or as a passing comment, she cared to endure.

"All her brains are in her boobs."

"I have never met a smart, busty woman."

"If cubic centimeters were IQ points, she'd be a genius."

Another knock interrupted her, this one a bit harder and louder than before. "Rin, dear, other people do have to use the bathroom. Or have your shrunken up so much that you cannot even get out of the tub?" Her mother's voice was reassuring to her.

Rin opened the door. "Sorry, but I have a lot of….school work on my mind. I must have drifted off again." She hoped this little fib would get her out of a sticky moment.

Rin's father came up to them. "It must be a whopper of a problem. You barely ate your dinner and conversation with you was truly one-sided. 'What happened at school today, Rin?' 'Hmmmm…' 'What about your teachers?' 'Hmmmm…' 'I will get you that Maserati.' 'Hmmm…' 'Right after dinner.' 'Hmmm…"

"Dad! Mom, he did not say that, did he?" Rin looked about frantically. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always wanted a Maserati. The family had gone to a car show some time back. Rin thought it would be boring, but when she saw that tomato-red Maserati, gleaming under the lights, the sleek, smooth lines making the car look like it was moving fast even when standing still, she wanted one.

Mom and Dad would make fun of her on this, using it as a carrot-on-a-stick to squeeze something out of her. She did get a Maserati, but it was one of those 1/24 size replicas cars. Close but no cigar. Not even a cigar butt.

Her mother nodded her head. "He certainly did, just to see if you were listening. What is the problem? It's not really schoolwork. It's not boys, is it?"

Rin dropped her head down, and slightly twitched her head to one side and then the other to, again, ponder her breasts. Mom almost immediately picked up on this. She turned to her husband. "I need you to go to the store now and get some ice cream. I do not care what flavor, save for Neapolitan. That is NOT ice cream."

"Right away." And in a few moments, the front door could he heard closing. Mom took Rin to her room and placed her on the bed, handing her a tissue

"It's not Toji again, is it? I thought we had that cleared up and…"

Rin shook her head 'no' and began to tear up. "Worse. It was…was….Chizo and Miyuki!" Rin wanted to be strong, but this always cut her to the quick.

Mom sighed. "You know, if I could wave a magic wand, I would do so. You would be the second person in line. I would be first. I have not forgotten what is was like, and I still get it to this day. Some people out there just never mature and grow up."

"But how do you get over it? When does it finally stop?" Rin began to sob. "I wish I never had these…these…things! My friends scoff at me. My enemies mock me. Boys leer. Girls sneer. I…." Rin was now openly crying. She did not care who saw her.

Her mother laid her down on her side in the bed and lay alongside her, allowing her to get it all out. Rin thought of every mean and low thing ever done to her: boys "jostling" her in line; girls calling her stupid or cheap; older men on the subway, staring those lewd stares at her; trying to find an outfit that looked cute on her but allowed her to present her figure in a nice way; ecchi photos in her desk, her books, her locker, with rude comments attached; unwarranted attention during gym class and Sports Day, especially at the pool.

"What if I gave you something better than a Maserati? What if I told you there was something better than a Maserati." Mom spoke in soft tones

Rin stopped sniffling for a moment, absorbing the statement. "Nothing…nothing is better than a Maserati, but…I'm…listening….."

Mom stroked her hair. "The reason that we have not done anything about your situation is that you are still growing and we are not certain how an operation might make things turn out. We have to wait until you are 18, when we are certain that you have stopped growing, before we can proceed.

"If, when you turn 18, you feel that you cannot live with the size you have become, we will help with getting reduction surgery. Now, I have to let you know that your father offered that to me years ago, but I declined to do so. I reached a stage in my life where I was comfortable and accepting of what I had and it was THEIR problem if they could not deal with it. Why should I change me to accommodate them? "

Rin's crying had subsided. She daubed her eyes with the tissue as her mother spoke. "The true measure of a person, man or woman, is not what they are but who they are. It takes some people many years to understand this. Some folks never get it at all. But I want you to feel comfortable with who you are and what you are."

Mom sat Rin up. "If this will give you a better sense of you, then we will help you towards that goal. And if you think four years is a long time, Hamura waited a full 10 years for Saito. 'All things come to her who waits.' Are you…..feeling better?"

"Yes, I think so." Rin wiped her eyes and hoped they were not too puffy. Just then, the door opened downstairs and a voice called up to them.

"Ice cream. We're gonna eat ice cream. And we're gonna eat it every day! And if a couple of people don't get down here right now, they won't even get to lick the bucket! Yum yum yum, yum yum yum. The chocolate Maserati is going into the garage. Vroom, vroom. Mmmmmm. Now that's entertainment."

Mom looked at Rin. "Are you ready?"

"Are my eyes red? I don't want Daddy to…"

Rin's mom hugged her. "You look fine, my daughter."

When they got downstairs, there were three bowls at the ready. "Rocky Road," Dad proclaimed, spoon at the ready. "I went to 'The Dairy Area' shop and had them mix it up fresh. Extra marshmallows; I know you like that, Rin.

Rin looked at the treat before her. She gave herself a good spoon, the coldness causing her to shudder. As she gave herself another spoon, it fell off and landed smack into her cleavage. Mom looked over and then took a spoon and slapped it into her cleavage.

Not wanting to be left out, Dad followed suit as well. Rin looked at her mess, looked up at her parents, smiled and began to laugh.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 273 DAYS**

End Notes

Now, this doesn't mean that EVERYONE is going to be getting these "An Evening With…" tales, only those who merit it. The reason I chose Rin was because of Mai.

If you have ever seen the series "My-HiME" (or "Mai HiME", depending on who's spelling it), Mai Tohika, a rather busty number, has this unusual relationship with her breasts. Each episode of this anime has a kind of "Get to Know…." the characters segment after the credits. Mai leads off these extras and comments that she had developed breasts at an early age.

In fact, a lot of Rin's comments were taken from Mai, as they have a lot in common: both began to "show" young, both are the focus of unwanted attention and both feel awkward in having them, plus they feel boys like them merely because of it.

The date of this episode is not by chance; this is the next evening, after Mahoro's run-in with the Pi Deal Alpha machine, and the same day that Miyuki and Chizo made noises that they have been using the machine as well (which happened in the morning, on the way to school.) I decided to follow the manga over the anime, so Minawa does not make an appearance for this tale.

Sae (pronounce it 'sigh') Kashiwagi, for the observant, is the really snotty student in "Peach Girl", who spreads rumors about Momo (You HAVE seen "Peach Girl", right? You haven't? Good, don't bother; I found it a frustrating show and I was hoping that an errant piece of space junk would crash into them and…OK, back to the narrative).

I get lazy when it comes to names, so if I can have one with a built-in dislike, I don't have to work that hard on things. It leaves me more time to drink my beer. Plus, it kind of sets a personal history, in that these people have always been this horrible.

And I stole Toji from "Peach Girl" as well. It's a simple name and there are times that I do not want to fish through a directory of Japanese names to come up with something. OK, there are times that I go to a translation page to have a certain English word become a certain Japanese name, as it defines their character. I even have been known to steal names from Nintendo games, when the end credits run or any of the creative staff of the anime shows I watch.

I tried to find a Japanese tales of two people waiting forever to be together, but I couldn't track it down. I can only assume I was looking in the wrong place, as I cannot believe there is no story like that in all Japanese folklore and mythology. So I just made up Hamura and Saito.

The Pokemon episode noted is the Japanese version of "Beauty and the Beach", (although it goes by different names). The US version of this show was edited heavily, but the main point was a Beachside Beauty contest. Misty enters and gets flattened (so to speak) by Jesse. James also enters, wearing a woman's bikini and sporting his own breasts.

He inflates them so he is now the 'biggest' on the beach. You didn't see that? Thank 4Kids for the scissor job. I own a copy of it and I do not need to know Japanese to figure out what the 'plot' of this story is. It's just a lot of fan service (Hey, we ARE at the beach, right? Who wears a trenchcoat?)


	12. Chapter 12 An Evening WithSuguru

"An Evening With…Suguru"

by Furor Scribendi

2008 Scribendi Productions

October 28th

The afternoon sun was waning when Suguru finally got home. The Memorial Service had taken a lot of out him and he really missed Mahoro's cooking. There was nothing wrong with Buddhist meals, but it was rather plain and simple and Suguru had gotten used to the lively and spicy fare that Mahoro whipped up for him.

The house looked welcoming as he came up the path, a safe harbor after a long trip; familiar sounds and familiar smells. Guri-chan and Slash lounged in the warming rays, seemingly oblivious to his arrival, despite his schlumping nature, as he neared the door. He let himself into the house. "Mahoro, I'm home."

"Suguru, it is so nice to have you back." Mahoro came into the hallway and bowed. "I hope things went well for you on this little trip."

"It went well, but it is always nice to be home." He sighed out of relief, dropping his bags heavily onto the floor.

Mahoro looked at the clock. "You arrived sooner than I expected, so I do not have things fully prepared as of yet."

"That's OK. I think I want to take a rest and an early shower. I like travel, but I hate travelling. All that time to get from one point to another wearies one." He looked about the house. "I see that you are getting into the holiday spirit for Halloween."

"Yes, I have some fine pumpkins out back for carving in a few days. I will make you a snack while you shower."

"If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't mind an early dinner. It's just, well….." Before Suguru could say another word, an awful growling sound could be heard.

"Oh, my," remarked Mahoro. "Did they not feed you well enough while you were there? I have just the meal in mind. I will get to work immediately." And she disappeared into the kitchen. Suguru watched for a moment as she pulled out pots and pans and sang one of her kitchen tunes: "One never wants a tumbly, to ever be so grumbly, so it is my fervent wish, to make a tasty dish, so things don't get so jumbly."

Suguru smiled and made his way to his room. He opened the door to see a marvelously clean room. He threw his bags on the bed and sighed again. It WAS good to get home, especially to a wonderful bed. He put all his dirty clothes into the hamper and stored away his suitcases. Looking around cautiously, he tip-toed back to the door and opened it quietly. He could hear Mahoro, still in the kitchen, cooking away, pots clattering about and the chopping of vegetables.

Shutting the door silently, he went over to his desk and sat down. Reaching under the drawer, he withdrew a brown bag. He smiled broadly and began to pant. He really didn't have an honest chance to look at it before he left, but he was surprised that Mahoro never found it. I mean, some of his stuff was sniffed out in less than two hours and he was upset that the Riho magazine that Ryuga had returned to him was, again, out of his grasp.

Still, it was a good thing to still find it where he had left it, so he must have really hid it well, for a change. He had no idea how she would react to "The Bounteous Maid at Work." Removing the magazine from the bag, he saw a note attached to the front cover. Oh, no, he thought, she DID find it. Crestfallen, he took the magazine out of the bag fully and read the note. He reread the note, wrinkling his brow.

He took the note off, undid the rubber band and gave a quick perusal through the magazine. All the contents were still there. He shut the magazine and laid the note back on the front cover, reading it one more time. The rubber band went back in place, the magazine was returned to the bag and the whole thing was properly attached to the bottom of the drawer. When that was done, he sat there.

He was stunned by Mahoro's words. She had spoken to him in the past on this matter, his ecchi collection, but she had never been so eloquent about it. Uncertain as to what should be done, he got up to take his shower.

As the water pelted down on him, he thought. I don't really think there was or is anything wrong with my ecchi stash. I mean, it doesn't hurt anyone and it's not like I look at Rin or Miyuki in that way. And certainly the incident with the Pi Deal Alpha made everyone a lot more aware of what was going on with things, so it's not like Mahoro doesn't think of this as well.

Suguru washed his hair as he tried to rationalize things. True, he had gotten the magazine as it looked like Mahoro. I mean it REALLY looked like her. He was stunned as to its contents. And it was kind of nice to think that might happen to Mahoro and…he stopped for a moment.

Yes, it was, again, true that when he first saw Mahoro on the bus, he had those thoughts, but he did not know that was her. She was just a really cute girl, a REALLY cute girl. Just as he did not think of Rin or Miyuki with that caliber of lust, he really couldn't think of Mahoro like that. She would never be Riho, but did she have to be?

It's not like he would ever get to meet Riho, anyway. She lived in that rarified atmosphere of the Supermodel and proles like him would be lucky to get whatever they could find. So, why did he need his ecchi stash?

His father had one. Even though he spoke of his deep and abiding love for his mother, he still had his stash. He remembered when he first came across it. One of the steps on the stairway was a secret panel. Push the front hard enough and it would spring open. He saw his father open it once and, when no one was at home, he tried it himself. It took some time to get the mechanics of it down, but when he did, it was a treasure chest of…well, treasured chests. Full color pictures of round, curvy, fleshy, top-heavy women, looming across the landscape. They were begging for you to stare at them, proud of their womanhood, unafraid to be naked or wearing their hardly-theres.

He knew the situations they got themselves in were silly and a lot of them mouthed the oddest statements. There is something about a woman, lounging across a fur carpet, cradling her expansive breasts, while the caption reads, "I am concerned about world hunger."

Perhaps it was less prurient and more maternal. There is something comforting about breasts. It did remind him of his mother, something warm and caring. But did they really have to be that big? One of his favorite magazines was called "Round-Up", where the women were enormous by anyone's standards.

Yet, when he was attacked by Shikijo-sensei, he was terrified. Perhaps it was the way she seemed to throw herself at him that unnerved him so. He even had a chance to see her naked, that hot August night at the pool when they were ghost hunting and Mahoro had to conk her on the head. But he was so scared, he couldn't appreciate the situation.

In fact, the man at the book store who took care of his father, as a gesture of courtesy, kept him well-supplied. But did he have warped values in regards to women? Did he solely view them as objects or fetishes? No, no; that wasn't correct. He DID view them as people…who happened to be busty and nude, lounging across a big brass bed.

As he toweled off, he thought more. So, why does anyone need this stuff? Does it fill a primal need? Is it like a crutch until one can get a real girl? No, that can't be right; his father had a stash and he was married. Fulfilling a fantasy? True, his mother would never be a tall, busty blonde, or dress up like a police woman, or wrestle in creamed corn, so it might serve a function in that way.

He knew that at his age, he couldn't get any woman. Well, he could have Shikijo, but he really didn't want Shikijo. She got scary at times, and he knew he could never even tease her about it, as that would open a can of worms of epic disaster. All he knew is that when he looked at the pictures he felt less of a loser, less alone and…

He dropped the towel and the enormity of the thought hit him. He WAS alone. It had been a very hard six years. When his mother died, he felt he had died, and when his father went two years later, he was inconsolable. He had no one. Even with his friends and relatives, there was no one there on those nights when the evenings stretched into eternity.

No one, except his ecchi girls. They were always ready with a warm smile or a kind gesture. But they were cold and flat. No amount of hedonistic fantasies would alter the fact that they were still representations. They could never love him back, no matter how hard he wanted it to be. "If wishes were horses…"

A knocking at the door stirred him. "Are you OK; did you pass out?" The knob rattled.

"I'm fine," he called out. I guess I am more….fatigued than I realized." He had to be careful. If he said 'tired', she might really get frantic and burst in. "I'll be out in a moment."

"OK, very well. Dinner is nearly ready." She left and Suguru sighed again. He wasn't fine at all. He was a mess. Mahoro had done her best to get him focused and going in one direction, but it was tough to follow.

Toweling off, he left the bathroom tidy, and then went to his room to change into his nightwear. He plodded downstairs to see the table set and ready. A lovely miso soup and what appeared to be tiny burgers awaited him, along with potato chips.

"I came across this recipe for these 'sliders' in the paper. I think it makes the dinner more fun and festive. This one is really a special recipe. It is a lamb slider with mint aioli and apple relish."

There were tiny flags in each one, both to act as a toothpick, to keep them all in place, but to be encouragement. One said "Welcome Home", another proclaimed "Really tasty" and the last offering asked "Me first."

Suguru ate a chip and looked perplexed. "These aren't potato chips. They are…are…are…?"

"They are actually pimentón mushroom crisps. Think of them like mushroom potato chips, except with a little olive oil and Spanish paprika atop them."

Suguru looked up to see her smiling and felt terrible. He was in such a dilemma. Biological urges were very hard to overcome, but feelings of friendship also needed to be addressed. How could he reconcile both? He took a bite of his slider and put it down, drooping in the process. It could be tasting great, but his own doubt and uncertainly killed his sense of taste. All this hard work she did for him and…

Mahoro sensed something was wrong. "Is there a problem, Suguru?"

"I think I am more tired than I realized. I guess…." Then he got an idea. He spun his plate around and made his sliders 'talk' to Mahoro, used the bun top as their mouth.

One had a gruff voice. "I can't believe he isn't enjoying all this."

The second had a smooth voice. "It's not that we aren't delicious."

The third had a squeaky voice. "He didn't eat me first. And I asked him!"

"All this hard work…for nothing! Grrrrrr!"

"Perhaps he is tired. I mean, he said he didn't like travelling."

"I was to go first! Me first. Look at my flag!"

"Maybe he'll eat us tomorrow…."

"Or maybe as a midnight snack! Yessssssss!"

"Midnight snack! Midnight snack! Yippee! Then he'll be sure to eat me first!"

"OK, then it's all settled. We'll get a zap job in the microwave and then…."

"…and then…."

"…and then…."

Then the mushroom chips spoke up. "What about us?" "Are we included in all this?" Suguru lifted up two of them and 'walked' them to the middle slider.

"Of course you are. We ALL are! We're all excellent!"

"Hooray!" Suguru tried to grab all the bun tops and lift them at the same time, then danced them about. Replacing them, Suguru felt better and letting Mahoro know he appreciated her and what she did with the meal. He looked up to see Mahoro smiling as she applauded.

"That was a wonderful show. Do you want to go to bed now?" She looked forlorn. Suguru wondered. Did she not take his suggestion and have a kind of mini-vacation? Did she spend the entire time cleaning and cooking and laundry and garden and not do something for herself? Was she so focused on his needs that her needs were relegated to the back seat or, worse, the trunk? But he was too drained to respond to the situation properly.

Suguru nodded. "I think I really do. I want to thank you for all this. I just wish I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy it." Suguru drank down his tea and went upstairs to his room. As he lay there, he pondered a solution, something that would permit his to enjoy his ecchi, but not hurt or offend Mahoro at the same time.

He knew he couldn't pick and choose. He'll look at this one, but not that one, as it was all over the line. Even his father knew that, but still got the magazines. What was he looking for? Dad was absent a great deal of the time, so it kept him company, wherever he had to roam to. But was it a substitute? Could any one replace his mother? Was it…..?

Suguru sat up in bed. It made sense! Now he understood. It wasn't that you were looking at just pretty girls; it was more that you were looking at them, but thinking of the person you cared for deeply instead. His father saw his mother, kind and caring and nurturing, waiting for him when he got home. The situations that the models put themselves in were situations that his father would like to see his mother in.

Yes, the family did not possess a gigantic brass bed, or a massive bearskin run in front of a roaring fireplace or a pair of thigh-high leather boots, but you could imagine that the woman who was doing all this was a visual clue, to be replaced with a connection you cared for and about.

The pictures kept his father going, knowing that his mother was waiting for him upon his arrival. It was a crutch, but required at a time when you needed help to walk. Then, when the time was right, you laid it aside, as you did not need it.

Suguru knew that he could never fully escape his ecchi needs, but if he understood it better, then he could control it and not have it be the opposite. He would protect what he currently had, but there was not a real need to bring in any more, except if it was Riho, of course. She was special.

After all, parts are parts. All women have breasts, so why keep looking at them? Because it is the situation, and the presentation of that situation, that mattered. The presentation allows you to project your personal object of desire into the situation. In the past, it had only been random women in random locations, doing random things. But now, it was Mahoro. It WAS Mahoro.

Mahoro need not be offended any more and he didn't have to worry about hide and seek with any newer materials. It could work and it would adapt to his needs, but a time would eventually come when he no longer needed the ecchi at all. He would make it happen.

Suguru then noticed he was really hungry. Getting up out of bed, he went downstairs to the kitchen. Mahoro, watching TV, saw Suguru stride into the kitchen. She followed after him and saw him withdraw his plate of sliders from the fridge. He took the one that said "Me First!"

"You time has come, little fellow," he commented, as he put it on a plate to insert into the microwave.

"Hooray", 'said' the slider. "Victory is mine!" As Suguru put it into the microwave, he said to himself, "It is for me as well."

Mahoro came up to him. "Are you feeling better?"

He turned to face her. "I am. I really am. What's on TV tonight?"

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 265 DAYS**

End Notes

This was another story that I had to tell and the date is, again, a definite choice. This follows on the heels of Mahoro's night out with Shikijo and the morning where (as the manga implies) she beats Mahoro with a baseball bat (the same one she used to clobber the Ninja Panty Bandit; perhaps Saori should try out for the Yokohama Bay Stars or the Whales or whatever they want to call themselves.)

This is also a few days after Mahoro discovers the ecchi of her (OK, that is one of my tales) and leaves the note. I am a big fan of cause and effect and I wanted to analyze Suguru's habit from his aspect.

Oh, what does the note say? I'm STILL not telling you. As I said in the earlier part of this, I think it works best if YOU write that letter, finding the words that Mahoro wrote to make Suguru feel as he does. What if I say the wrong thing? If you feel you know the right words, then that's all that need be said.

I have had this discussion with other people: what is the difference between naked and nude? To my way of thinking, it is presentation.

The naked person is naked. Perhaps they are lounging on a fur carpet, or are in languid repose upon the bed or standing there, bold as brass, so you see everything. (Well, not everything. This isn't "Gynecological Review", OK?)

The nude person has strategically placed items that cover those parts: perhaps an arm over the breasts, a potted plant in front of their groin, a gauzy summer fabric about them. We do NOT see everything (in fact, we may not see anything except a smile and an idea).

I used to get a mailing from a company that offered three calibers of "photos": art, natural and freedom. Art is ecchi: demure poses or slightly hidden. Natural was the stuff you would see in centerfolds, the naked shots. Freedom was more graphic, where you do see EVERYTHING! ("Well, that's an interesting tattoo in an interesting location!")

The secret stair space is for real. My wife's grandmother lived in this tremendous house. The stairs went up five steps to a half floor, then up the 15 steps to the second floor. The decorative panel on the side facing out of this half floor was actually a pressure door, held in place by springs. She opened it for me and it contained the blueprints for the house. The trick was putting enough pressure on it to open it and not have it spring back into the closed position

Something else I wanted to do was play up Mahoro's cooking abilities. I mean, I did have her win the Cooking Shogun show, but let's see that effort in day-to-day practice. Oh, would you like the recipe for the sliders? Not this time. This particular recipe goes on and on and on, as you have both the mint aioli and apple relish to think about as well and not just the lamb recipe for the sliders.

They are called sliders for two reasons. The first is that they are so small they 'slide' down your gullet. The second is that the small burgers, cooked up for Navy personnel, would slide across the griddle during rough seas. And if they do that, are you really ready to eat them? Your stomach is sliding just as much as the burgers are.

White Castle trademarked the term "slyders" fairly recently, as they did not want to give the impression that the burgers were greasy.


	13. Chapter 13 All Saint Day

"All Saint Day"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

November 1st

With Suguru safely off to school, Mahoro set to cleaning the house up from Halloween. Slash had done an excellent job of protecting the house, but his attitude and demeanor lead her to believe that he had taken his duty with a bit too much enthusiasm. Still, she did not have to worry about pranksters bedeviling the house, as with Shikijo-sensei and the water balloon attack from the night before.

As she was putting away the fake spider webs, there was a ringing at the door. When she got there, she saw a door-to-door salesman. He was wearing a rather loud jacket and had with him a very large suitcase and a smaller suitcase.

"Good day, young girl, could I speak to the lady of the house?" He was expansive in his demeanor, flashing his bright teeth at her.

"I am the lady of the house," she said firmly.

"Oh, that can't be. You are much too pretty and young for that!" Well, the honey just poured out of his mouth, thought Mahoro.

"If you have the time," he continued, "I would like to show you the latest in vacuum technology. This little baby here can keep your house clean not only of dirt and grime, but also purify the air as well." He patted the side of the case like it was his child.

"Thank you, but I am content with what I have." Mahoro smiled and bowed.

"Oh, but you haven't seen the Vesper V1046R in action! Best in town, I guarantee it."

Mahoro froze for a moment. Could it be a coincidence? He continued. "I see that you are cleaning up from Halloween. Ahhh, Halloween. Bonfires and getting scared by giant costumes. Oh, I would just need a few minutes of your time to show how we can clean up even the most stubborn of problems, even after the holidays."

She held. "Sure, you may come in, but only for a few minutes." He grabbed his case and disappeared into the house. Yet, he continued his spiel.

"My, what a lovely home you have here, but it can be made even lovelier." He laid the case on the floor and went to an inside pocket to pull out a wallet. He held a finger to his lips as he showed his ID, which showed him to be a member of Vesper, Tohika Natsuii.

"Now, many vacuums are big and bulky, hard to maneuver and make loads of noise. It's like being at Nagata Airport with the 747s landing or perhaps an Aerosmith concert. 'What? What?'" He put his hand to his ear, straining, as though he could not hear the conversation. He then waggled his finger at her. "Not with this one. It's so quiet, you'll wonder if it is even on."

He opened the smaller case to pull out a CD player and hooked it up to two speakers, which he placed on the entryway bookcase. He then extracted a handheld device that looked like a stud-finder, but when he pushed a button on it, two wands came out from the side. He began to sweep with it. Mahoro was amazed that he could keep up the patter.

"Now, you look at this vacuum and then you look about your house and comment, 'There is no way that little thing could clean up this place with the same ability as my gigantic vacuum.' But that is what makes it so great. Vacuums aren't about size, but power and this unit has it where it counts."

He waved the wand all about, the lights on the arms in a constant pulse. Satisfied with that scan, he put it back into the case and brought out a smaller device, about the size of a

smoke alarm. He plugged that into a nearby wall socket, laid it on the ground and turned it on. A small hissing noise could be heard, emanating from the unit.

"This machine is the best out there, but rather than have me chatter on hour after hour as to how good it is, let me show you how good it is. 'The proof of the pudding is in the eating', right?" He then put a CD into the player and turned it on. It was him, still giving the spiel. "I want you to lift this up. No, it's OK. Please. Do so." "Oh, my, this is so light." A female voice could be heard. It was pretty close to how Mahoro sounded.

A performance came out of the player as it went though the paces of giving an actual demonstration. He motioned for her to follow into the kitchen and they sat at the table where they spoke in low tones. "Vesper sent me out in regards to the robot incident of last night. They are concerned about a variety of issues. You have to forgive the rather childish approach to this debriefing, but if there is something more going on, we do not wish to tip our hand."

"Is that why you did all those procedures with all those devices?" Mahoro leaned in close to him, to be heard all the better.

He looked serious. "I wanted to make certain there were no bugging or surveillance devices in the house and the boring sales talk will take care of any external spying. Plus the white noise generator should mask things pretty well. Still, I want to keep the conversation low. I just want to err on the side of prudence. That is the reason I put on this 'performance'. I wanted to make certain of things."

"Is Vesper that nervous on this situation?"

"Ever since the arrival of Ryuga, Vesper has been on a heightened alert, but dare not do any direct contact. But this incident required more data. Now, Hokaze assures me that the phone masking devices installed here work excellently, but I am still not convinced of this, which is why we have this little meeting. I just want to be assured in my mind."

The CD continued its presentation. "Even the best vacuums leave something behind, or if they are strong enough to extract the most stubborn, ground-in dirt, the integrity of the carpet could be compromised with a kind of tugging of the individual fibers by the machine. This vacuum can get out the most pernicious, high-traffic, deep fiber dirt and not damage the carpet in the process. I will show you."

"Why, that hardly makes a sound at all. Are you sure it's on?" Mahoro was amazed at the disk. Vesper worked hard on this one.

Tohika continued. "Now, your initial report said that you left the house at about 7 pm. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

Mahoro shook her head 'no'. "It was Halloween. EVERYTHING was out of the ordinary. It wasn't until Shikijo-sensei was hit with the water balloon that I began to feel that something was out of place."

Tohika rubbed his chin. "This was a clever plan. Come out at Halloween and be as bold as brass and no one notices. Very cagy this one was. And if they managed to capture you, it would come off as a kind of street theater and no one pays it any heed, as you are role-playing. Continue."

"Not wanting to endanger civilians, I decided to draw their attention towards me by moving away from everyone. I did not think Suguru would follow after me into the woods. I was going to check up on Shikijo-sensei later today." Mahoro looked concerned.

"There is no need for that. She was released this morning with nothing worse than some bruising. The branch hit her in such a way that the force was dissipated across her body and no one specific spot was targeted. It looks terrible, but no broken bones or things like that. Then what happened after the attack?"

"I am still uncertain if the robot was that terrible of a shot or was trying to force me to go in a certain location. But it didn't make sense. It would have been easier to get me while in the woods than in a populated center. Instead, we landed square in the middle of the fairground and panic ensued."

Mahoro shuddered. "I was really concerned that the robot might open fire and start attacking civilians to get to me. The odd thing is that it was more like a Wild West shootout, as if it was daring me to outdraw it."

"We are still doing an analysis of the CPU. Your aim was terrific in that you left it intact. Not even the fire was able to cause problems with the unit. I mean, we would have liked to have analyzed the Cloud Crab, but considering what went down with it, your actions were completely understandable. Wait. I love this part of the spiel."

He held as the CD played on. "Now this unit can reach anywhere and you do not have to worry about miles and miles of tubing, wrapping around you like an octopus and…hey, it's wrapping around me and….help! Help! The tubing is….constricting. Need…help…to…urgh…uff…arghrgh…I…will…defeat you, you foul beast!"

Tohika gave a little smile. "It always makes me laugh. OK, back to more pressing issues. The odd thing about the robot is that it is an older style. Many of the parts and circuitry indicate it to have been made about six or seven years ago. It was as if they…"

"But who is 'they'? Is it Saint? It didn't feel like a Saint ploy."

"With the exception of some UFO sightings, Saint has lain dormant for some time. The Cloud Crab was the Americans trying to convert alien technology to their needs and failing badly. This 'attack' is more deliberate, but with outdated machinery. This is not what Saint would do. Even with Ryuga's attack, it was open and to the point. This approach has us baffled."

Tohika got up and went to the CD player to adjust the volume, approaching quietly and leaving it just as stealthily. He came up behind Mahoro and spoke into her ear, in hushed tones.

"Vesper is concerned that this is worse than a potential Saint attempt, but a third party involving itself. But Don will say nothing further and you know how hard it is to get information out of Commander Daimon."

Mahoro nodded. One was never certain what Daimon was thinking at any time, even in the best of circumstances. "But should I be worried about anything?"

"At the present time, it appears not to be overly concerned. The data is still being analyzed, so any guesses made not only would be premature but could cause undue consternation. We wish to deal in fact, not half-baked worst cases."

"But you still came out with this little bit of fakery. That indicates something is amiss." Mahoro became concerned. Not for herself, but what might be visited upon Suguru.

"More of an SOP than over-reacting, and prematurely. We just want to be cautious. Everyone at Vesper is worried about you and we did not want to give the impression that you are out here on your own. I also do not want to say anything to make you unnecessarily concerned if we are merely chasing ghosts.

"The real concern is rogue elements within Saint, something that cannot be dismissed out of hand. I mean, Ryuga seemingly acted out of his own sense of pride and revenge, and that is something that we never expected a combat android from Saint to possess. It personally would not surprise me if someone pulled a Henry the II and an errant comment has sent these forces after you."

Tohika put his hands together under his nose, as if he was praying, as some deep thought crossed his mind. "It's just that, with the limited information we have, nothing makes sense. I mean, this is not the Cloud Crab Incident, which was gross negligence and overweening pride, but some kind of deliberate attempt on you.

"And there is something that Vesper hasn't fully considered: corporate espionage. I know that you have kept yourself and your true identity protected, but there are some rather snoopy types out there. We do have companies that make industrial robots and if they could get their hands on you, well. But that might be more sailboat fuel than anything else. But, again, we have to consider all possibilities."

"Should I be worried for myself and Suguru? I do not want to place him into harm's way." Mahoro became truly anxious for the first time. Tohika's tone was reassuring.

"Again, not certain, and we do not want you to be in a state of always having to look over your shoulder or trying to discover what may be lurking in the shadows, but, to contradict things, forewarned is forearmed." He leaned in even closer to speak to her. "I would be on your guard. You have a support mech. Put him on alert. Besides, it will give Slash something more to do than just lolling about in the afternoon sun."

He came back around and sat in front of Mahoro. She had a worried look on her face, but that quickly was chased off. "Now, is there anything you would like to ask me? I have done all the talking. There must be something you need to know."

"What should I do? I mean, there is a possibility that this is opening move in a long chess game. When something presents itself, what is the action to take? Even if I contact Vesper, like Hokaze has asked me to do, it is still going to take time for a response and I do not have that luxury to wait around."

"And no one expects you to. Even though you are 'retired', you have not surrendered it all. There is a phrase, 'Once a Marine, always a Marine". You will know what to do and that is always to give an immediate response to an immediate threat.

"We know that you are going to protect Suguru and Slash is always ready to assist you. Take advantage of what is afforded you to and act accordingly. Again, we are going to monitor the situation, but we certainly want you to report anything that is out of the ordinary. Anything." Tohika emphasized the 'anything' line. "Trust your instincts. If it feels funny, it probably is, and it would be better to treat it as such.

"And here I am, still talking on and on again. It's a good thing Vesper doesn't pay me by the word, or they would have gone broke years ago. And I have some other things for you." He got up and went to his case, where he withdrew a large envelope, which he brought back to the table and gave to her.

"This is something from Vesper and the people there. When they knew I was coming, they worked up this special packet for you and practically knocked me down to make certain I would bring it all to you. Oh, and Commander Daimon would like your full report on this incident separate from your monthly letter, OK? Personally, I think he gets embarrassed that non-professional things get mixed in with professional things. It doesn't make for neat and tidy files.

"Your previous letter is still making the rounds. Even after it is read at the meeting, people want to see the letter for themselves. It makes them feel like you are still with them." He looked at his watch. "OK, the performance is almost over, any thing else you want to ask while I am still here?"

Mahoro shook her head 'no. Then she stopped and nodded 'yes'. "Do you really have a vacuum cleaner in that box?" She pointed at it.

He opened up the box and showed her. "This really is a terrible vacuum, but, as they say, 'Fortune favors the prepared.' There is a little bit more I have to do here in the area, before I actually leave. It's not that I am paranoid, but there is no need to take a real chance on anything." He got up and went back over to the player, then pulled out a sheet of paper, holding it up. He motioned Mahoro towards and she read it over.

"In a moment, I am going to turn off the player. I am going to ask you a question; this is how you are to respond and I will take it from there". She nodded as she read the paper again, then looked up to him. He held up a finger to note that he was almost ready as the performance concluded.

"So, that is the end of my demonstration." He turned the volume down on the player quickly. "Now that you have seen all that this baby can do, what do you think?" As he spoke the lines, he shut off the player and began to put everything back, packing it all up neat and nice.

Mahoro read her line. "As much as I am impressed with this vacuum, I must politely decline. I am content with what I have."

He said his lines without missing a beat. "Well, I am sad to hear that, as I think you are letting a good deal pass you by. Still, the time will come when you will need a new vacuum. Let me give you my card. If you decide that your old vacuum isn't worth it anymore or you know someone who is in need of a new vacuum, please give me a call."

He was crisp and precise in what he did and everything was packed up and ready to go. He hoisted up his bags and was all set. "I want to thank you for your time and allowing me into your house. Again, should you change your mind, please do not hesitate to call me. If I do not answer the phone, the answering service will get the call for me."

As he headed to the door, Mahoro led. "Let me get that door for you." She opened it up and he let himself out.

He turned and bowed to her. "Again, my dear lady, thank you for your time. I do want you to think about this. Should you need a new vacuum, I am always at the ready for you." Mahoro returned the bow and politely closed the door.

On the porch, he sighed and left the Misato household. He went to a few more doors, knocking on them and promoting the vacuum. Every other door was shut on him. At the end of the block, he got into the car, pulled out a map, made some notes and moved on.

Sitting in a nearby tree, well hidden from pedestrians, was 227, monitoring the entire situation. He spoke into his headset. "OK, she had a visit from a vacuum salesman. But, aside from that, all is quiet. What do you wish me to do? You want me to come back and give an in-person report? Then I'll be there. But I thought you wanted me to stay here long enough for her to leave the house and try to sneak in and determine what is wrong with all the in-house monitoring devices. No longer necessary? As you wish."

Before he left, 227 looked over to a sleeping Slash. Slash bolted upright, trying to find something that he wasn't quite sure was out there. He came out of the dog house and patrolled the grounds, his yellow eyes glowing with anticipation and suspicion. He pointed himself in the direction of 227, but Slash just could not anchor on exactly where he was.

227 merely smiled and moved on, drawing no attention to himself. "You may be good, support mech, but just not good enough."

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 261 DAYS**

End Notes

I am sure that Vesper wants to know about all of these things that happen, and with the promise that Professor Hokaze extracted from her (OK, that comes from a story of MINE, nothing in the manga or anime), they can do a follow-up, but nothing too blatant to tip a hand.

The germ of this idea comes from an old Gallagher joke, when he felt that the Jehovah Witnesses could deliver the mail, as they are coming to your house anyway. What better way to gain entrance under a (potential) watchful eye than a door-to-door salesman?

This marks the results of the first attack by Management; the second attack occurs two weeks later with her being stalked by someone a bit more subtle in initial approach ("The Bigger, The Better?" tale, dated 11/14; both of these are MY stories) and the last part would be the actual arrival of Minawa (12/8, via the manga).

Now, adding to my consternation, we have the Mahoro OVA. That story occurs about a week or so earlier than this one and marks the first anime-based attack on her via Minawa and after her arrival. I have always been at odds with them over how they have mucked up the timeline and now, they drop in this tale which really messes with things.

This, however, is not new. We have the manga-based tale of Mahoro going to look for bombs for 10 days at Shirakiku Academy. Now, I assume that they did not want to cough up two or three anime episodes for that tale (and bring in two new characters), preferring to boil it down to one episode and have the mysterious Shikijo Bomb/Time Capsule instead. So, it just messes things up for us fanfic writers.

Yes, it would be easy enough just to ignore the whole thing. The Summer TV Special show was bad enough, as I could not find a logical time frame to place it anyway, but at least one could state it was after the manga arrival of Minawa. This OVA (which takes place over four days) is almost too much to bear.

I mean, I could write around it and just have Minawa not there, but keep the rest of the tale, but then it gets into problems. I already have a big concern with Shiori and her tale (in manga, not in anime) and how that gobbles up a lot of November.

But I don't want to abandon the timeline and put any story I want anywhere and let the rest of the universe be damned. It gets tough. But since the anime team themselves violate the First Rule of Fanfic ("Respect the source material"), am I still beholden?

Henry the II? His main rival was Thomas a Becket. King Henry made the errant comment, purported to be "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" Four of his knights took it to be a royal edict, rode to his church and assassinated Becket.

The salesman is partially based on Kirby Vacuum salespeople. Selling door-to-door is not the most pleasant thing in the world, but why do those guys have to be so hard-core about it? And why must the vacuum be so damn expensive? Why do ALL of those kinds of vacuums (like the Rainbow and the Trilobite) need to cost as much as a used car?

Now, if you have seen the amine, the Professor has walls of photos, so where did he get them from? Some of them are almost too intimate for a real person to be there to snap it. I have 'constructed' a story that partially addresses this, but I notice that there are no audio recordings (or, at least, not shown to us). But I have a hard time believing that Management would not go all out on this (or, at least the Professor.)

And, again, why Mahoro and not Ryuga? In fact, wouldn't Ryuga be a better bet? Or do they feel that trying to capture him would be a lost cause indeed.


	14. Chapter 14 Broadcast News

"Broadcast News"

by Furor Scribendi

2008 Scribendi Productions

November 30th

The smells of dinner filled the Misato household. Chizo sat on the couch with nervous anticipation. "I know she has more time to cook than at the show, but I'm still hungry!" She stuck out her lower lip, pouting.

"There, there, little Chizo," consoled Rin, "Have some more pickled vegetables." Rin gave her a bowl, which Chizo noshed on. "Good things come to those who wait."

"And we have waited four months for this to happen," commented Kawahara. "I know we were at the Cooking Shogun Show, but I would like to see it again, so I can see what I missed. I know I missed a lot."

"I missed a lot as well," mumbled Hamaji. "I mean, I did like it when that guy's sleeve caught on fire. That was awesome!" His eyes sparkled at the memory of it.

In the kitchen, Mahoro was deliberate in her food preparation this time. Although it still took the same amount of time to cook it here as it did in the show, the expectations were different and thus it created a different wait time. She also felt that since she wasn't playing to the camera, she had better control of the food and believed this would even outshine what she did back in August.

Things were in a festive mood, although she was nervous that Shikijo would show up. She didn't say anything at the time, but she knew that Shikijo was impressed with her tuna dish. Everyone was, as all gave her high marks, especially the food critics.

Miyuki held up a gold DVD that was sitting in its envelope on the table. "So what is this? The latest anime? 'Wedding Peach'? 'Marmalade Boy'? 'Gundam X Wing Victory Seed Mobile Suit Destiny'?" She leaned in close to Suguru, waggling the disk between two fingers and whispered. "Could this be 'Milk Money'?"

Suguru turned a crimson red as Miyuki leaned back and laughed out loud at his reaction. "Oh, so you've heard of that one."

Mahoro came over with a tray of tea for everyone. "That is a special disk from Hanzo-sama himself." Miyuki stared at it with a sense of awe. "He said what made it a special disk is a longer version of the show, adding more footage and some bonus extras he personally selected. The letter should be with it."

Rin retrieved the large envelope and withdrew the letter. "Oh, my. I think this guy is in love with you," she commented, after reading a few lines. She dropped the letter. "He wants you to work with him at 'The Blade'?"

"What?" shrieked Chizo, who almost spilled her treat as she scrambled for the letter. She read it over Rin's shoulder. "Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada '…and if you should change your mind, my offer to have you become a line chef with me still stands.' Oh, my… I think this guy is in love with you." Chizo's jaw dropped open.

The TV set had on the show that preceded Shogun, "Osaka Crime Lord", but no one was really watching, despite the dramatic shootout being presented. All eyes were watching Mahoro, as she finished up the dinner.

She and Suguru brought out the plates and they were put at the TV table. Everyone stared on, noting how lovely it looked.

"It smells heavenly." Chizo's eyes fluttered, in preparation of her passing out. "Such a delicate balance of divergent aromas makes for a wondrous dining experience ahead." She took the first bite and let out the loudest holler anyone had ever heard her make.

In the yard, Slash came to attention. "That was loud, even for her. I hope she didn't turn herself inside out." He went back to sleep.

Chizo was frozen, unable to move. Hamaji looked at her with a sense of fear. "Is she even…..breathing?"

Miyuki looked at her watch. "The second wave is going to hit in about five seconds, so I would clear out."

Chizo came out of her stupor. "This is…and she was…with the…and all of…so that…so that…so that…." Chizo sat down, gasping for air.

Rin looked over the top of the couch, seeing what Chizo would do next. "Well, that the most lucid she's been in months." Everyone got seated, had themselves a bite and was just as overwhelmed.

"This is totally fantastic," said Kawahara.

"I never knew tuna could taste like this," remarked Miyuki.

"No wonder that judge passed out; this goes beyond my pathetic descriptions as to its magnificence," offered Rin.

Suguru took a bite. "Not bad," he shrugged. Slices of pickled cucumber were flung at him while he got booed. Mahoro smiled. Then came the music for the closing credits as everyone turned to the set.

"It's almost time," said Hamaji, while Rin and Miyuki brought Chizo back to this reality. Mahoro started to go back into the kitchen, but Suguru called out to her.

"Hey, where are you going, Mahoro?"

"There are still some things left to do in the kitchen and…"

Chizo jumped up after Mahoro. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! The pots and pans can wait for an hour. This is your moment of glory, for all of Japan to revel in. You are going to sit and watch and enjoy." Chizo guided her back as Suguru got a chair and she was placed at the far end of the table, but where she could see the TV the best.

She felt a little bit on the spot, as this was not her place as a maid; she was to be behind the scenes, not the center of attention.

After a series of annoying commercials, ("Do that many people have trouble with hemorrhoids?" puzzled Miyuki), the screen showed an overall shot of the convention center and people hooting and hollering. "From the Hiryu Convention Center, it's the Cooking Shogun Show!" The Cooking Shogun appeared. "Hattori Hanzo, Japan's greatest living cook is…..The Cooking Shogun. Renowned the world over, he searches for the finest chefs. All who vie for the title of…Cooking Shogun!"

Coming out of the credits, it was a two-shot of Bede and Fode, looking like sport commentators. "Hello, everyone and welcome to what should be a most entertaining show. I am Bede…"

"…and I am Fode. The five finalists we have here tonight had to endure two rounds of preliminaries to get to this point…"

As Fode spoke, shots from the preliminaries were shown. "The depth and range of what was offered was amazing, even by Hanzo-domo's standards." The marlin and the roast lamb were shown, theirs owner beaming with pride. There was also a shot of the Pool of 30 on the stage. One added clip was when Shikizo was initially chosen, as she danced all around. "As was the caliber of people who attended."

They came out of the clips and back to them. "So let's see the finalists now…"

The shot showed Shikijo coming up. Everyone gasped. She looked stunning in her outfit which showed off her amazing figure. The camera hung on her a bit long, as she waltzed her way to her cook station. When Mahoro came up, the room exploded in cheers and whistles.

"You go girl!" yelled Chizo.

With everyone in position, Hanzo came out and gave the signal. Everyone grabbed their tuna and went to work. Bede commented. "Look at that Shikijo! She is getting right into it, carving up that tuna into what she wants. But Mahoro is pausing?"

"That's the sign of a good chef: imagining what the dish will look like…."

Suguru turned to Mahoro. "Why did you wait before you started? I mean, you said it was a tight timetable."

"I wanted to be in the right frame of mind for this and…" Mahoro stopped suddenly as she looked at the set. It was her, pulling out her sheathed knife. She showed a huge amount of leg and thigh and the camera caught the whole thing. She leapt into the air and diced up the onion.

Bede and Fode were beside themselves. "Did you see that onion? Did she even slice it?" Then went into a slow-mo replay, showing her taking out the knife, then watching the onion float in the air and then explode.

Mahoro reddened. That's not what she wanted. She then went to work on the vegetables. There were in-between shots of the rest of the contestants. Kirika looked a bit harried, but was putting up a good show. The mechanic was oiling up his cedar planks, really working them.

Shikijo was making her sauce. She looked up at the camera and gave a wink and a kiss.

"Showoff!" chirped Chizo. Then the gong was heard.

"The first segment is done, and at this point, we're going to have a commercial break."

The first ad was for cook wear. The break was used by the gang to eat and comment.

"This is just so exciting, I forgot to have my dinner," said Hamaji, as he made up for lost time.

"I am just amazed as to how focused you were on things, Mahoro," said Miyuki. "I mean, you knew what you were going to do and those cameras didn't bother you at all. And they were annoyingly close."

Kawahara leaned over to Suguru. "Don't I know it? They were practically stuffing that camera into Shikijo-sensei. I think I saw more of her figure that the tuna she was working on!"

The commercial break ended and they went right back into the action. It was now on the food critic. Bede spoke in a voice-over. "One of the contestants is a food critic. Haiji Tanaka works for the Hiryu Herald." The shot of him working was minimized as the interview he did was aired.

"Food critics often get a bad rap. 'They can eat it, but they have no idea what goes into the preparation.' I DO understand what it takes to make a meal and it is just as easy to get it right as it is to get it wrong. I know what I look for in a meal, so I present that to my guests, so they can enjoy it as well as I do."

The insert was taken out as Haiji worked his tuna. Fode spoke. "He is certainly trying something daring. Of the five here, his is the most make-or-break. One little error and it's just fancy cat food."

"But you can't sell short Mahoro. Hers is the most time-restrictive and even a momentary lapse could mean missing the deadline. Look at all she has to do!" They cut to Mahoro whipping up the sauce in a frenzy, the whisk spinning like an outboard motor. "And one can snipe here or there, but I think she is working that far too hard. You get too much air in it and your taste will be off."

Mahoro, making an irritated face, looked over to Chizo, who looked back and gave a sheepish grin and a shrug. The second gong was heard and the next set of commercials was presented.

Hamaji mopped his brow. "Is it really that exciting? I mean, I know what the outcome is and I am still enthralled with it all."

Kawahara was more sanguine. "It's all that intercutting and tracking shots, so you are right there in the action. THAT'S where the excitement comes from."

"I disagree," said Miyuki. "The action is right here. Such a wonderful dinner. The Sleepover Dinner. That was wonderful, but this is head and shoulders above even that one."

"Wasn't it?" cooed Chizo as she remembered that one as well. "That lamb."

Heading into the third quarter of the show, the pace definitely picked up, as did the commentary. Bede spoke. "I know I have said this before, but cooking looks like a total mess and failure. You do this and that and them and those and it almost seems a miracle it can all come together like it does."

Fode followed up. "We have been on this show for years and it is always amazing that this…" He pointed down to an insert shot of the basic ingredients. "…becomes that!" he pointed next to him and one saw a succulent presentation of the meal. So don't let the seeming chaos and confusion get to you. All have a fire and…

"Fire! One of them is on fire!" The screen showed Kenji Shuboya and his sleeve on fire. He had an odd look on his face, like it was a real annoyance to be aflame. Mahoro came into screen and smothered the fire with her slab of tuna.

"Well, that's a first. I mean, we have seen a lot of knife accidents, but I cannot remember someone burning themselves like that," offered Bede.

"And he goes right on cooking. That is determination. I just hope the tuna for Mahoro isn't ruined."

Hamaji watched the replay of the fire. "That is still just so cool to see."

"That was some quick thinking," said Miyuki.

"It just made more sense to smother the fire than to pour water on him. And I couldn't have gotten the water out of the teapot fast enough," said Mahoro. With the sounding of the third gong, it gave them some time to discuss.

"Now comes the really exciting part, as they wrap things up," said Chizo, as she began to poach tuna off of everyone's plate.

Back from the break, a timer was placed in the corner at seven minutes as time went down. "Mahoro's charring of the tuna seems to be taking more time than she imagined," said Bede.

"She also seems to be making eight dishes? Am I seeing that right?" mulled Fode.

Tanaka put his hands out and a blue flag was placed at his station. "OK, we have the first chef done, and with a few minutes to spare." He sat down and had a big drink of water.

Kawahara leaned in to the set, cupping his ear. "Do I hear Chizo in the background, cheering you on, Mahoro. 'Go, go, Mahoro, go, go.' Can you hear it?"

All craned to listen to the background. Suguru spoke. "Wait! I think I hear it. 'Go, go, Mahoro.' I knew she was loud, but not THAT loud." Chizo blushed.

Shikijo finished and put her arms out, and it was a magnificent shot, as the buttons on the front of her outfit were stretched to the limit of their resistance. Bede and Fode did not miss this. "Well, that Shikijo has put on a marvelous demonstration for us." Her interview was put up, but it was minimized, as the larger picture showed her taking her bows and acknowledging the accolades of the crowd.

"It all began with lunches. I wanted something more exciting in my bentos and I knew I wasn't going to find it at the store. You would be surprised how really easy it is to cook up something that looks like you SLAVED all day long." She really pushed that 'slaved' part, making a seductive glance to the camera.

Back to the action, Kenji completed up his dish, wiping his brow with his sleeve, then seeing the burn marks on it. "Three down, two to go and time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future."

"When was the last time a contestant failed to make the time designation, Fode?"

"Well, if we exclude the infamous Mahi Mahi show, there was the Dessert Special of last year, when Okashi Dezato did not completely finish up the frosting of her triple-decker lemon cake and…Miyoka has signaled her completion. So that just leaves Mahoro."

"It looks like those eight meals will be her undoing. That clock is not forgiving and she just may have tried to do too much all at once. Yet, she is not flustered as she works both the dinner and the clock."

Mahoro put the last lid on the plate and put her arms out. A cheer was heard, but no blue flag. She thrust her arms out again. Then, the gong sounded. She turned about to see Hanzo himself behind her, holding up the blue flag high and proud above her. She had beaten the clock.

"Well, that was a close one for Mahoro. Did she actually beat the clock?" commented Fode.

"The replay shows that she gave the completion signal mere ticks before time ran out, even though the judges did not acknowledge. But Hanzo saw that she had," replied Bede.

"This is not the first time Hanzo has had to step in to make a determination. The thing is that he has never been wrong on his decisions, so he has a fine eye for this as well. She cuts her time as fine as she cuts her vegetables. Look at that. She gave the initial signal with a mere 7.3 seconds to go, and again at 4.5 seconds to go."

Bede fanned himself. "Too close for comfort for this one. But if they thought the cooking was tough, now comes….the Review Board! Our current judges are Jouichurou Wakaki, Editor-in-Chief for the Connoisseur Report; Midori Masaake, Food Critic for the Tokyo Times and Iwao Fumiayomo, author of the book, 'Regional Delights of Japan'.

"Now, Midori has been a judge before. Iwao was offered a slot last year, but had a book signing tour and was compelled to decline. This is Wakaki's first time."

Everyone watched as the pronouncements were made. Miyoka was disappointed with her numbers but Tanaka was impressed with the comments by the judges, especially from Wakaki. "Sir, if you are as diligent with your cooking as you are with your writing, you can go far. I wait for that day."

The gang booed when Shikijo came up. The judges seemed to be fawning over her Tuna Stroganoff and when Iwao gave her a perfect six, Shikijo let loose a chortle and gave a sideways glance to Mahoro.

Mahoro spoke. "I thought that she was going to explode out of her outfit, she was so puffed up."

Hamaji recalled that evening at the Café Trois, when Mahoro presented that lovely cake to them all and her uniform exploded off of her. He gave a wistful, lustful grin at that. "Yes, yes, that was marvelous…I mean, I can imagine that happening."

Kenji's Cedar Tuna generated the most arguments. It wasn't a knock-down, drag-out fight, but the two male critics really mixed it up, trying to get the last word in.

Then came Mahoro's turn. Everyone leaned in as Iwao took the bite, stood up and passed out. Still live, he was attended to by the medic crew and the other two critics stared over at him. Brought back to consciousness, Bede spoke. "Is he OK? I mean, I have never had anyone react to food in such a manner; they have to at least eat it. I think we all remember Hedo Akubi and that stew dish from the Halloween show."

After sipping his water, Iwao spoke. "That has got to be the finest bit of tuna I have EVER eaten. EVER!" After the other two critics ate, they motioned Hanzo down, who sees his own domed meal. He takes his bite.

Chizo spoke. "…and here it comes. Your crowning glory." Hanzo came over to Mahoro, stared at her, and slowly took off his chef hat. Everyone gasped. Fode was stunned.

"I…I cannot believe this. Folks, we are witnessing history in the making. Hattori Hanzo has met every major chef IN THE WORLD for the past 15 years. He has NEVER taken off his hat to any of them for any reason. But tonight…" They did a slow-mo replay of him taking off his hat. "….I am speechless and…oh my God!"

Bede took over. "He has given her his prestigious Japanese Culinary Medal of Excellence. He won that almost 10 years ago in a now-classic cooking competition held in Tokyo. This is…..stunning."

Hanzo took Mahoro by the hand and led her out to the center of the stage. He spoke. "I hereby declare Mahoro Ando the winner and…Cooking Shogun!" The center erupted in cheers and whistling as the place went berserk. In the Misato household, the feeling was matched with more cheering and shouting.

Miyuki perked up. "Say, did you hear that?" She went to the door and opened it up. The neighborhood was also cheering and shouting as well. Mahoro stepped out to the gate to hear the collective cheering. A few doors opened up and she saw her neighbors. They stood on their porches and gave her a live applause.

Mahoro blushed. "Thank you. You are all too kind."

Chizo broke it. "Wait. The show is still on!" Everyone scampered back into their houses to catch the very end of the show.

Bede and Fode were in the booth, an overall view of the convention center behind them. Bede spoke. "Well, that certainly was an exciting time and only the second perfect score ever achieved on this show."

Fode mulled. "If she is that good, maybe I can hire her to be my maid."

"Not if I beat you to it first. So for Hattori Hanzo and the city of Hiryu, I'm Bede…"

"…and I'm Fode and thank you for watching…..Cooking Shogun!" The sound of a gong showed the logo of the show and the credits began to run. There was a voice over, telling what the next episode of the show was going to be.

Mahoro blushed as her friends gave her a standing ovation. She felt wonderful.

Miles away, two pairs of eyes also watched the show.

"Shall I turn it off for you, professor?"

"No, let it run all the way out. If they show any more shots of V1045R Mahoro, I want it all. This may be our way to finally capture her for Management!"

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 231 DAYS**

End Notes

I had been debating this for some time, allowing everyone to see the show, but I was initially uncertain as to how to present it.

Now, some of you may recognize the anime shows that Miyuki mentions. The Gundam title is a compilation of several of their offerings. 'Milk Money' is not the live-action film with Melanie Griffith, but anime hentai and we'll just let it stand at that.

I do not know if Japan has sweep months like US television does, but November is a traditional one in the US, so I just extended it to here.

Now, I made a comment that might seem odd to many, about Mahoro's clothes exploding off of her at some cafe.

If you saw her OVA, the gang put together a sweets shop and Mahoro is the cook there. She gets into a fight with management robots (almost gundam-like in their appearance) and badly tears her uniform. When the day was done at the café, she brings out a special cake for them all, doing ballet moves to the table. As she puts the cake down, her uniform, stressed beyond belief, explodes off her body in a complete shredding.


	15. Chapter 15 Machinations

"Machinations"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

December 1st

In his laboratory at Management Headquarters, Dr. Metherius gazed at the TV set. He was watching a replay of the Cooking Shogun show, noting every single movement and gesture that Mahoro did. Standing dutifully behind him, not saying a word, was 227.

The professor was keenly interested in replaying the onion scene, where Mahoro flung the onion into the air and deftly sliced it, then caught it in the pan. He even slowed down the DVD and did a frame-by-frame analysis of it. But he was not interested in the amount of thigh that Mahoro exposed in pulling out her knife from its garter sheath or the glimpse of her underwear as the skirt flared upwards. He was watching how precise her speed and cutting skills were.

Around him, almost completely covering the walls, were hundreds of photos of Mahoro, in a variety of poses and locations. Practically every detail of her life with Suguru had been noted, catalogued, transcribed and indexed. The professor was checking some notes that he had made on his own, glancing up to see the onion exploding from the near-invisible slicing made through it. He still could not follow the blade's trajectory.

"Her speed is incredible," mumbled the professor. "If we could access her technology, we could end this concern with Saint and Vesper once and for all. And to our advantage. That would put Professor Kanaan in his place." The DVD was returned to normal speed.

"But that is the tough part, isn't it?" Although 227 spoke in a cheerful manner, there was always a bit of a sarcastic tone to his voice, an air of superiority. This bothered the professor, but he could never really get angry over it, as 227 had done nothing really wrong. But it was wrong. It was as if he knew how to needle without really being obvious about the needling but that he was needling.

He was a good android, but was far outclassed by Mahoro, not only in sheer strength, but in mental acuity as well. As the professor pondered, 227 continued. "Having been on two previous missions, the capture Bots that were sent out could not react fast enough to the situation, which is why they were easily defeated. And with Professor Kanaan pushing hard for his idea of the Maneaters, you may not get another chance at this."

"Bah! Dr. Kanaan is a fool. He is too enamored with his Maneaters to see their fundamental flaw, especially in trying to capture V1046R Mahoro. I saw his report and it is rife with unsupported ideas. But his arrogance will lead to his disaster."

227 smiled. But doctor, he thought to himself, those self-same flaws, that arrogance in Dr. Kanaan's personality, exist in you, as you are heading down the same path as well. "Do you have another plan in mind?" 227 smiled broadly as he scratched his cheek.

The professor turned with a withering glare. Whosoever programmed his personality did not do a particularly good job with him, groused Metherius. He felt he was always fending off a kind of seething disgust. Still, this feature made him a useful tool in learning what Dr. Kanaan was doing. There was a small degree of loyalty in this one, he mused as he spoke. "I always have another idea in mind. I have decided to take one of those damaged clones that we worked on. She has not done well in the training and has been scheduled for 'decertification', but I think her personality is of just the type we need to make this plan work, where the other attempts did not."

He pulled a file from his desk and gave it to 227. "Her name is 370, a particularly troublesome unit. The bulk of her class has graduated on to help Management in a variety of functions, but she has not. In fact, she has retrograded to the point where she is more of a liability than an asset. It is kind of like finding a rotten carrot in a bag of vegetables; all that can be done is to discard it."

The professor laughed as he closed his eyes and thought of something. 227 glanced over the file and was silent. There was nothing outstanding about this one. Test scores were below average and her training curve was more of a plain. She was consistently at the bottom in all categories: strength, endurance, mental agility, reaction time, pain threshold, stamina. Perhaps she really was a rotten carrot. "This is Project 370. You have made mention of it."

The professor came out of his reverie. "Yes, I have. Now, under normal circumstances, she would be a negative. But, in my hands, I can turn this into a positive. As you can see, she has been cybernetically equipped with the latest in tracking and scanning devices, plus her psychological tests indicate that she can be easily manipulated, as she is far too trusting and emotionally fragile. One just needs to be forceful with her."

227 closed the file and gave it back to the professor. "What are your plans for this one?"

The professor made a small cackle. "This one is really good, as not only will I get 370 into V1046R Mahoro's house, I will also get Dr. Kanaan in trouble! And no one will ever suspect me at all." He let out a huge laugh as he looked to the set. The TV showed Mahoro whipping up a storm with her whisk in her sauce pot.

The professor spun about in his chair and pointed to 227. "I am sending you along, 227, to monitor the situation, but you will not involve yourself at any stage of the game until so advised." 227 nodded as the professor continued. "The plan will work like this:

"Tomorrow, I will ask 370 up here and lay out my plan. You will be introduced to her as her handler and that any external contact will be done through you. On December 7th, Management Training will be putting these last remaining clones though their paces. An opportunity will be made for her to escape, but her disappearance will not be discovered until late on the 7th, so they will put something into motion for the 8th.

"This will force Dr. Kanaan to promote sending out his Maneaters to retrieve 370, as opposed to any other method that could be…."

"They could also send out a sniper to assassinate her and be done with it," offered 227. "That is standard practice."

"You fool! I'm counting on that!" barked the professor. "And since V1046R Mahoro will prevent that from happening, it will add to 370's uncertainty as to what is going on, making her fear genuine. She will know that she is being pursued and that failure will mean her immediate destruction!"

"And V1046R Mahoro will accept what she says without question. Sheer brilliance," commented 227, although he felt nothing of the sort. These humans are so easily manipulated by a glib word or flattery, mused 227, they would believe the moon is made of green cheese.

The Professor domed his hands and pushed his fingers together. "Dr. Kanaan will say that this will be an excellent workout of his Maneaters, especially since they are on the verge of going into production and they need a good field test. It's a simple job: recapture a lost clone, but he will send out all three models, to show what each of them can do. And that result will be…..FAILURE! Miserable failure!" The set now showed Mahoro putting out the fire on the sleeve with the tuna slab.

"Having seen what she has done in the past, I expect to see smoking hulks where 50 billion yen worth of equipment stood! They will not even last 10 minutes when things are set into motion." Metherius rubbed his hands in anticipation as he gloated over his inevitable victory. Oh, to see Kaanan's face when told of his flop!

He then turned to 227 and pointed his finger at him. 227 did not react at all as the professor continued. "And what makes this all the more juicy is that Kanaan is going to be on the hook for 10% of the total cost of the destroyed prototypes! Management is going to 'offer' him some low-cost loan to pay it all back, but he will not be able to and his career here will be at an end. He will be so reluctant to try anything else or new, he will lurk in the shadows, a shell of his former self!"

"I have a concern about the plan. What keeps 370 from telling everything to Mahoro? You have a plan for that?" 227 smiled as he closed his eyes and gave a huge grin.

Why does he mock me, steamed the professor. "That will be taken care of in the discussion I will have with her. I will present a scenario that guarantees that she will be the obedient lap dog that we need: gathering information on the unit and when the time is right, springing the trap!" The doctor cupped his hands like a set of fanged jaws and then snapped them shut.

"That part of the overall plan will fall to you. However, we are not fully prepared for that contingency to take effect, as of yet. I will need a good amount of time to build up the information so I will not make the mistakes that Kanaan will!" The professor fairly spat out the words, like it was a lima bean. "I am thinking about three months to get everything into place. Four would be better, but I'll take what I can get."

"What are you going to tell her that will keep her in line and doing what you ask of her? I mean, as the test results show, she is erratic and may not be able to complete the task assigned to her." 227 smiled broadly, as he always did.

The doctor grumbled. He was not used to being questioned in such a manner. Everyone else in Management treated him with some degree of respect, but he never seemed to get it from this unit. "I will make her an offer so overwhelming to her, she will fall into step. No task will be beyond her, even having to shoot someone, for her to get what she wants. And her extra strength means that she need not worry about her being overpowered. And when I get what I want out of all this, she will be discarded, as there is no place for someone that defective in the future of Management!"

227 said nothing, but he had another thought. But doctor, three months is enough time for a Stockholm Syndrome to take effect. And if she learns of your deception, it may be more than you can handle. 227 was not under any real consideration to divulge anything to anyone, no matter how germane to the situation. He was to do as he was asked, but only did exactly what was asked. So you couldn't get mad, as he did just as he was instructed.

A cheering could be heard from the set. Both looked over to see Hattori Hanzo putting the medal around Mahoro's neck and walking her out to the edge of the stage to proclaim her victory. The crowd was going nuts in its adulation.

The professor looked away. "That is not going to happen, so I am not even going to waste time thinking about it. 370's profile indicates that she will stay true to the task. Her fragility and extremely poor self-esteem guarantee total success." The professor leaned back into the chair, folded his hands under his nose and allowed himself a gloating smile.

"What about love?"

The professor looked up, as though this idea was a shock. "What did you say, 227?"

"What about love? Clone or not, she still has emotions and, as she interacts with these people, something could happen in regards to love."

The professor wrinkled his face in disgust. "Bah! No one could ever love that one! Her own timidity and vague nature means that she will not allow anyone to get close enough to her to even worry about….love!" The professor gnashed his teeth. Why does he bring up these extraneous distractions?

"Also, by dangling our carrot on a stick, she is going to stay focused on the task in front of her and not even permit the slightest distraction from preventing her to achieve her goal." The professor gave a satisfied nod with his head. "Let Cupid come with an entire armory of arrows; they will have no effect whatsoever!"

"Are we still proceeding with the Pumpkinhead Scenario? He should be kept in the loop."

"That is to be a fallback plan, should 370 manage to fail at any given point. I would rather not go that way, as he is extremely arrogant, but he is equally excellent at what he does. It's just that people are aware of having their minds tapped and I am not prepared to reveal ourselves and our true intentions for now. He can cool his heels until needed."

Metherius turned away from 227 to hide the look of scorn on his face. He seemed more irritating than normal. He knew it was in 227's nature to remind people of things, but he was a pouncer. He was waiting for just the right moment to expose weaknesses in someone. To make matters worse, he had only discussed Pumpkinhead once with him and that was in passing, to comment about his ability to read minds from a great distance.

That was one of many periphery plans, waiting in the wings, so they were not much more than bare bones of ideas. If 227 was so smart, let HIM come up with a feasible plan for all this! Other plans that were lurking included look-alikes of the Vesper staff; the ruse of a free cruise to get her to a safe location; a magnetron beam to draw her along as if she was iron filings and an extremely bold kidnapping. But these were first draft plans and not much more than a list of ideas.

No, Project 370 was his best approach to taking care of Mahoro. It was simple and the least complicated of anything he had manage to dream up to date. As an old teacher had advised him, it's always KISS; Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don't have too many moving parts, for if it breaks down somewhere, it may be too hard to salvage.

He turned to his charge. "I expect you, 227, to keep me apprised as to what Dr. Kanaan is doing. He is not going to out-maneuver me again, like he did when he got the Man Eaters Program first approved. Payback is a beast, as it comes with interest on top!"

He opened a drawer and pulled out another folder. "This is what will be given to 370. This is both the script and the instruction for her. She will shadow Suguru Misato to his house and present herself on the doorstep, stating that she has escaped from Management and needs a place to hide.

"Those two soft-hearted saps will bring her in and the first part of the plan goes into effect. And before you say anything, I am not even worried about the support mech they have. Like most of those machines, they HAVE to do what they are commanded to do by their master. Since they will be keeping 370, the Support Mech will have no say in the matter. The plan is flawless and my best ever."

227 smiled again. Professor, this plan is so riddled with holes, it's a wonder it can stand up on its own. You are going to need some of that luck in order to pull this off. "The plan may be flawless, but you still have that flawed person. A lot depends on her being able to do something perfectly, something she has yet to achieve on her own."

For once, the professor did not make a sour face. "That is what makes this portion of the project so good. In the instructions she will receive, there are numerous fallbacks and safeguards to ensure that if it doesn't go in a certain direction, she will do the next step. This is what's known as a force. It works like this."

The professor pulled out a deck of cards from his desk and shuffled them. He fanned them out and presented it to 227. "Pick a card. Any card, but do not let me see it." The professor began to angle the deck away from 227, trying to make him pick from a certain side in an obvious attempt to rig the trick.

227 chose a card from the far part of the deck and looked at it. It was the Ace of Spades. "OK, now that you have seen the card, place it back into the deck anywhere," the professor said, presenting the deck again. 227 placed it in the opposite part of the deck. The professor proceeded to really shuffle up the deck and then placed it into a pocket on his lab coat.

He put his hands on the sides of his head and opened his eyes. "I will now cause your card to magically teleport to a location within this room!" He began to wrinkle his face and breathe heavy, his hands massaging his temples so his already dour demeanor looked even more so than normal, as the skin was wrinkled about.

He then crossed his arms, like he was a swami, eyes closed. "Go to the clipboard by the TV set and look under the last sheet of paper on that clipboard. Your card is there." 227 did as he was told. He took the clipboard down and hoisted up all the pages. There was his card, the Ace of Spades, clipped to the back.

227 was not impressed, but he turned to the professor. "Well, how did you do that?"

The professor snickered. "It was a force. You had lost even before you started." Withdrawing the deck from his lab coat, he turned it face side up to show it was all the Ace of Spades. "And the card was a plant. As long as I remember where it is, I can make you dance like a puppet on a string."

The professor put the cards back into the desk. "I will be doing this kind of force the entire time. There is nothing that will escape my eyes, or yours. I will show them all that I am the best in all of Management!" The professor laughed. 227 merely smiled again.

"There is a much simpler way to get this all done, you know." 227 spoke up. The professor glared at him. More undercutting? What was wrong with this one?

"And how would YOU do it?" he snarled.

227 walked over to the professor, laid his head on his shoulder and spoke in a quavering, pathetic voice. "Please. Please help me." Irritated, the professor pushed him away. 227 merely stood up. "You see how close I was able to get to you. Sometimes, the simple ways are the best."

"Bah! My plan will work. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some details to go over. Fortune favors the prepared." Dismissing him with a wave of his hand, the professor pointed himself back at the TV and replayed the Cooking Shogun show, again analyzing the exploding onion sequence. 227 quietly left.

Outside of the lab, as he walked away, his cell phone rang. He looked at the phone and answered it. "Ferdelance here. Yes. I had a suspicion you were going to call. I will meet you at your lab in a few minutes and brief you. Things have taken an interesting turn."

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 230 DAYS**

End Notes

I once met Stephen J. Cannell, the writing genius behind such shows as "The A-Team" and "The Greatest American Hero". He was giving a lecture on writing and said that one of the things he did when writing a script was to ask himself 'What are the bad guys doing?'

I have shown in the past some of the early attempts to get Mahoro, so this is a kind of recap story and putting the next plan into gear. For those who have seen the series, Dr. Metherius' obsession with Mahoro is so overwhelming, he is more like a stalker, taking an enormous amount of candid snaps and posting them on the wall. (And how did he get some of those shots? He should have been paparazzi. All he would have to worry about is getting punched out. Instead, he is killed by Minawa in the manga or Ferdelance in the anime).

This is exclusive of the information that Minawa is going to supply to him (but that is seen later, in both the anime and the manga). I also know that in the big picture, we first learn of Management on December 8th, when Minawa makes her appearance (or, for those in the anime, the start of the second season).

I have decided to opt for the anime story, but the manga timeline, thus the December 8th arrival date for her. But one thing always puzzled me with the anime and that was Mahoro's End Date. It almost appeared that Ferdelance knew that she didn't have much longer to operate, but Professor Metherius did not.

Although this has the making of "An Evening With…." story, neither of these two rogues merit such a consideration.

One problem that I had was with Dr. Kanaan. If you work through both the story and the anime, you get a bewildering variety of names for him: Kaanan, Caanan, Kanan, Kyanan. I realize that some of this has to do with a closer pronunciation of his name, but it just gets a bit too much to deal with as it can change from chapter to chapter (or subtitle to subtitle).

The lima bean reference? I personally hate lima beans.

The Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed.

The syndrome is named after the Kreditbanken robbery at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23rd to 28th in 1973. In that case, the victims became emotionally attached to their victimizers, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal.

Owing to the number of times that Mahoro saved Minawa or showed her kindness, she was truly torn in all that she did. If you noticed in Season Two, Episode 10, Minawa holds the gun so loose and carelessly, Suguru could have taken it from her with hardly a struggle, so we know the conflict is there.

Now, since I have changed the pitch for Minawa's arrival from the anime, the Pumpkinhead scenario comes into play from the manga. That particular chapter tells you more about Mahoro that you may have realized, but occurs in early February, with one of the oddest tales I ever read. Playboy Bunnies! Shikijo in her school uniform! Minawa naked! Hamaji losing it! Fan Service! Unexplained situations! More fan service! Exploding heads! 227 almost showing sympathy! Still more fan service!

The Big Deal is that everything is fully revealed in Book 8. EVERYTHING. Including Ferdelance's cryptic comment at the end of my tale.

Now, I have seen the Mahoromatic OVA and that really messes with the timeline, mine and the anime's. The problem is that this happens during four days in October and one of those days Suguru is actually on a Buddhist memorial service retreat and Mahoro and Shikijo have their Girls Night Out. The anime has ignored the manga's storyline; I shall do the same, especially since it completely ruins one of my previous tales, as well as putting in a "fourth" attempt to ensnare Mahoro.


	16. Chapter 16 Speak of the Devil

"Speak of the Devil"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

December 13th

At Vesper Headquarters, Mahoro sat patiently in Commander Daimon's office, lost in her thoughts. She kept replaying in her mind the things that Minawa had told her and Suguru, about the viciousness of Management and their exceedingly cruel operations for this clone army. How could one human treat another in such a callous manner?

Mahoro had mentioned to people in the past that she had younger sisters, but she never though that one would kind of show up. Suguru's decision to allow her to stay was one that Mahoro knew was both an incredibly brave gesture of hope and one of foolish danger, for Management may not give up on recapturing Minawa.

Certainly the assassination attempt and the robot attack showed their determination, but what unsettled Mahoro was the blatant nakedness of it all. The fact that the round that was used to try and kill Minawa was an explosive shell revealed a level of depravity that she did not think anyone was capable of. And should it have injured civilians as well…

She looked about the office. It truly reflected the man: a spare office with no adornments of any kind. The desk had a phone, a picture frame and a thin stack of papers. The chair had been selected for practicality, so it looked rather ugly. But, as Daimon said, "If it fits my butt, that's all that matters!"

The rest of the room was equally Spartan. The only real concession he gave himself was a small refrigerator with a coffee maker on top. A pot was at the ready, awaiting the next taker. Daimon was safe in that aspect, as no one liked his coffee. The man did not know how to make coffee. This irritated Mahoro to no end, as she really prided herself on making food delectable, but Daimon listened to no entreaties. It was referred to by everyone in Vesper as Spinal Tap Coffee

She watched him make it once and it was appalling. First, he selected his strength dial to beyond 10, making it as strong as possible. He then filled the filter to the rim with the coffee. Adding to this, he only put in half as much water as he should. No cream. No sugar. No kidding. "That stuff is for sissies!" Perhaps that's why Daimon always had that scowl on his face.

Sub-commander Gunji had a cup. His first and last. "Why don't you eat it right out of the can, rather than dilute it?" he snapped. Daimon shook his head 'no' and pounded it down like it was nothing. Even the coffee was simple. Coffee. That's it. No Blue Mountain. No Kona. No German Chocolate Torte. No Kenyan. None of that Komodo Dragon coffee. Certainly not Kopi Luwak. Simple, plain, no-nonsense coffee.

Daimon then came into the office, a sheaf of papers under his arm. Not saying anything, he dropped the papers on his desk and went to the coffee maker, where he poured out his drink. Well, pour was a subjective term; more like glopped out, as if there were still chunks in the pot.

Slamming down the scalding brew, he went to the desk and stared at Mahoro. She stared back. He always wore his sunglasses, so no one could ever see his eyes, to know what he was thinking or feeling. But his body language was enough. He was dead set against this. Mahoro made a small, unhappy face, waiting for Daimon to speak.

"As you know," began Daimon, "we want your new life to be as normal as possible. We had no idea that Management was about in such a fully brazen manner. That is not their style, as they prefer to lurk. The fact that we have another escapee from that organization is helpful, as we can gain insights, but I am troubled beyond belief."

Mahoro started to talk, but Daimon held up a finger. "My real concern is that this might be a lightening rod and that she could be some kind of a plant…"

Mahoro bolted out of the chair. "If you heard the stories she told of the cruelty of Management, you would be convinced of the truth of her words! There is no way that those tales could have been made up!"

Daimon, ever cool and collected, gestured for Mahoro to sit back down. She did, slowly, her face reddening with embarrassment. Daimon clasped his hands together as he spoke. "I am certainly not doubting the veracity of her words. From what details we have gotten from other rogue members, her tales may be, if anything, an underestimation of the ruthless nature of that group." Mahoro looked up in greater shock as Daimon arose from the chair and walked about the office, lost in deep thought.

"She experienced all the wretched and vile actions visited upon her, at least, those that she is able to remember, but that does not alter my core feeling that she could still be a plant. And it is not uncommon to sacrifice equipment that is a bit obsolete, but still serviceable, in order to gain insights on one's enemy. I know that we did that when we were battling Saint in the early stages."

Daimon passed behind Mahoro as she looked ahead, listening to his words. He put a hand on her shoulder as he spoke more. "Your kindness of heart has been your greatest asset. Some said it was your work on the battlefield that defined you, but it is what you did when you weren't fighting that mattered. THAT makes the true difference."

Mahoro felt the hand on her shoulder. It was a firm grasp, but there was something else about it. It wasn't a dismissive pat, a condolence meant more as a sop to her feelings, as he was going to reject the whole idea. Mahoro sensed that he was going to approve it. She had to contain her glee, however; Daimon was still a tough read and he could swap out at the last minute.

He removed his hand as he continued around the desk, heading back to the coffee maker. "When you made the decision to be Suguru's maid, I was surprised, but not shocked; that is your nature. When you forgave Ryuga when you had that fight, I was surprised, but not shocked. That is your nature. Now that you want to help someone who could be a mole…" He paused as he poured himself another cup of coffee and chugged it down. "…and I know you are aware of this as well. I am surprised, but not shocked. That is your nature."

He sat back down and faced her, both of them equally stern. Daimon picked up the phone and made a call. "Ms. Shiina, could I see you in my office, please?" Moments later, Eimi showed up. She was always so quick and unflappable, it was hard to believe she could be human. A few in the organization felt she was the latest in android technology, but nothing ever came of that rumor.

"You need something, Commander Daimon?" She was ready to go.

Daimon stood up. "Mahoro here needs some help in getting her sister…" and Daimon made quote marks in the air on that word, "…Minawa enrolled in the Hiryu Middle School. Please assist with the necessary paperwork so we can make this happen for her."

Ms. Shiina nodded and motioned for Mahoro to follow. She stood up and faced Daimon and bowed. "Thank you for this. I won't let you down."

Daimon smiled. "You never have and you never will." Shiina extended her hand and encouraged Mahoro to come underneath. "There is much to take care of today."

As they left, Daimon's face took a particularly sour turn. He headed over to the coffee pot and slammed down another cup. As he sat back at his desk, the phone rang. "Daimon here. Yes, Gunji. Oh, I agree completely on this. I feel Mahoro is putting herself in more danger than at any other time we have known her, even during the Kobe Incursion. Practically everyone else here feels the same way about this request of hers."

Daimon ran his finger around the rim of the cup as he listened to Gunji, nodding to himself. "I gave those exact same reasons, although perhaps not as eloquently as you. The one person who doesn't agree with us is Don Vesper. Yes, he trumps everyone. I intend to submit a request that this Minawa be watched closely. Yes, I agree as well to the recommendation to institute the 007 Clause on this one. I hope it goes over well, as everyone's feelings for Mahoro are unanimous, but I will not take any chances."

Daimon started to reach over for the pot, and then held, as something Gunji said attracted his attention. "Although I don't think we really need to do anything like that, it would not hurt to put Slash on the alert for this. In fact, he might be more effective than having someone actual tail Minawa. A mole for the mole. Yes, yes. And he will be advised of the 007 as well. I would love to be proven wrong on this, believe me, but fortune favors the prepared."

Down in Records, Shiina and Mahoro were working on their part of Minawa's past. Shiina spoke as she poured over some documentation. "I have already called the school to get the ball rolling on Minawa's enrollment. They are waiting on a variety of documents, which will be a snap to manufacture. Being 'overseas' does make things easier to push through and we will not have to contend ourselves with research problems."

Amid the cabinets of documents were also a variety of older technology items: a manual typewriter, an electric typewriter, onionskin paper, older style pens, odd sized paper, obsolete printers and a small broiler oven. Mahoro looked on with curiosity.

"Part of the trick is not just to make a document, but to also make it look old enough. 95 percent of the time, it will pass over unnoticed, as people are looking for the content and not the medium. It's that remaining portion; you have to pass that muster. As my daddy used to say, 'A connoisseur KNOWS the difference', so we have to make it perfect."

She went to a filing cabinet and put out a rather weather-beaten folder. "This is her cume, the cumulative results of all her time in school. Now, we are going to need a variety of hands filling in the reports, but I can get things started. Knowing of her rather delicate nature, she will not be the best student. We do not wish to draw too much attention to her."

Shiina sat down and wrote in some comments with a roller ball pen with her left hand. She then grabbed a black stick pen and wrote more comments, but she used her right hand for this one. The style was completely different, coming off as a different person. Whereas the first comment was flowing with large letters, the next comment was cramped and hurried.

"I will get several people to write comments and it different ways, so it rings true. It shouldn't be perfect, for that tips people off something is amiss. I had perfect attendance for four years in high school and everyone looked at me like it was a tall tale."

Shiina made a call and in a few moments, more Vesper members came down. She went over to speak with them and they sat down to inscribe their comments. A variety of writing styles and a variety of writing instruments were used. One even used a fountain pen to insert comments. He went last, as his would take the longest to dry. With Minawa's cume folder filled, Shiina went over to the broiler over to bake it a bit.

"This ads a bit of wear and rough handling to the paper, as though it had followed her for all that time. But I have to watch it so it doesn't ignite or the edges get too brown."

Once out of the oven, she let it cool as she went to a computer. "Now comes the tricky part: the class photo. We have to be able to 'age' her properly, but the good thing is that these photos are just so wretched anyway, we can get away with a lot."

"How do you do that? There's a computer program for that?" Mahoro was staring on, amazed as the depth of effort and ability to do the task.

"Most of these programs age-forward. If a child was abducted at age five, what do they look like now? With age regression, it's a bit easier and we can add other touches to it. Bad hair, missing teeth, awful fashion; all those fun parts of growing up.

"I also have a library of items to choose from, so I can give Minawa a normal-looking life. Now, watch a pro in action". Cracking her knuckles, Shiina's fingers flew across the keyboard. Within a few minutes, there was a series of pictures of Minawa as she got older. Mahoro looked at it and was floored.

"I…I cannot believe it. It looks like her growing up. This is amazing." A photo sheet was printed off and each photo trimmed down and stapled up.

Shiina picked up the folder and crumpled it a bit. "Now comes the really boring part, the special paperwork to go inside. We have a master file that we use to insert the proper paperwork and…" Shiina was interrupted by the phone, which she grabbed. "Shiina here. Yes. Yes. Yes. I will advise."

Covering up the phone's mouthpiece, she turned to Mahoro. "Sub-Commander Gunji would like to see you in his office, Mahoro. Some final details to go over."

"Then I shall go right up!" She headed to the elevator and got on.

When the doors closed, Shiina went back to the phone. "A 007 clause? Does Don know about this as well? If he doesn't, he will be very angry and…it was Don's suggestion?"

Mahoro got off the elevator and went to Sub-Commander Gunji's office. His was a lot friendlier that Daimon. There were all kinds of artwork on the walls, a big screen TV, a desk strewn with paperwork and a low table over to one side with a coffee pot on it.

When Mahoro got there, Gunji motioned her in. "I am so glad you are here. I need something from you." Mahoro watched as he went over to the small table, then returned with his coffee pot. "Let me watch how you make coffee. Every time you make it, there is something wonderful about it. I mean, I would rather die of thirst in the desert than drink Daimon's Spinal Tap coffee!"

Mahoro smiled as she went through the steps. She went to a nearby water cooler and took the water from there. Gunji asked. "Can't you use tap water?"

"You can, but some places have older pipes and minerals in the water can affect things. And you want it cold, but not freezing. Nor do you want to use hot water. Neither extreme." The cooler burbled as the water was drained off.

She poured the water in, then measured off the coffee. "This is how I like to make it. Three scoops to keep it right in the middle of things. And you have…" She looked at the bag. "A Holiday Blend? Is this from last year?" He nodded sheepishly.

Mahoro made a face. "Coffee doesn't keep that long without it getting a stale taste, but I think we can make this work. She set the coffee maker to go, pushing the medium strength. "Now, I am going to come back in a few minutes to switch the strength factor."

"Good, then while we are waiting the results, let me tell you why you were really asked up here." He offered her a seat and sat on the other side of her. He turned his chair to look out the window, a commanding view of the Tokyo skyline. "There is not a single person here that does not think about you and wants the best for you. Your monthly letters are the highlight of our meetings, especially when Don drones on for hour after hour."

Mahoro smiled as Gunji spun about quickly, his demeanor changed. "There is also not a single person here who is deeply concerned about this Managua person…"

"Minawa," corrected Mahoro. "Her name is Minawa Ando and she is my sister."

"Very well. I have been asked by Hokaze and other members of the panel to, again, remind you that you are not alone out there and that you can, and should, ask for help. Management is a vicious organization and they would stop at nothing to insure their dominance. Whether Minawa is a mole, a cat's paw or a dupe, we are suspicious."

Gunji stood up and looked into the distance, gathering his words. "You have to forgive us, that is our nature at Vesper and that is certainly my nature as well. And…"

Mahoro abruptly stood up, turned around and pushed the strength button on the maker, then returned to her seat in a fluid motion. "What this should do is give a kind of blend. You have the robust nature of the coffee, but with its edge slightly reduced. And this is much better than putting extra water in it. You can enjoy the full flavor."

Gunji smiled. "I thank you for that. But I still want you to know that we are all concerned about you. At least allow us that." Then, the phone rang on Gunji's desk and he got it. He nodded and made non-committal grunts, then hung up. "That was Shiina. The school folder for…Minawa…is ready for you to look at. But it will be mailed from another location, so the school gets it and it is all proper."

They both stood up. "But before I go, the coffee should be ready." Grabbing his cup, he took the pot off the maker, the succulent coffee aroma wafting forth. He put in a bit of his creamer and sugar and had a sip. He smacked his lips noisily. "Ahhhhh! Now THAT'S coffee! I will remember all that you said to me."

"And I will remember all that you said to me." She bowed. "I think you are doing the right thing in all of this and both Minawa and I appreciate it." Gunji bowed back and Mahoro left the room. Moments later, the phone rang. Gunji got it during the second ring. He sat down, coffee at the ready for another sip.

"Gunji's office. Oh, it's you. Yes. Yes. Yesyesyes. I did all of that. Short of pulling a gun on her to convince her, I felt that this is where she was going with all this and wants to go ahead with all of this. I will contact Slash myself and advise him about the Clause. And she is on her way back to the Morgue, so if you want to catch her there, you can."

Back downstairs, Mahoro was greeted by Shiina, who presented her with the fruits of her handiwork. The cume folder looked magnificent. Mahoro looked through it and was floored as to the complete life that Minawa led, with one major exception: it was all bogus. Not a single word of it was true, but no one would ever look that hard to uncover the facts.

"I am amazed at all of this. It is stunning," said Mahoro, as she looked at the pictures of a young Minawa. "Absolutely flawless."

The folder was handed back to Shiina, who smiled. "I will get this mailed off tomorrow and that should help with Minawa's school days." A beeping was heard, as Shiina looked to her watch. "Is that the time?"

Mahoro glanced over at the watch. "Is THAT the time?" I need to get back to Suguru. I hope you don't mind this sudden departure."

"Nonsense. At least let me escort you up to the roof." The both got into the elevator and arrived at the roof in nothing flat. As the doors opened, Mahoro was greeted by Daimon, Gunji, Hokaze and a couple of other board members. They all hugged her and shook her hand as pleasantries were exchanged. She bowed to them all.

"I want you to know how deeply touched I am by all of your efforts. It will help Minawa immensely in a new life for her."

"Don't be such a stranger," politely chided Hokaze. "You are always welcome here."

"Thank you. I would love to stay longer but I have to take care of Suguru. I will see you again." She turned and walked to the helipad area. "I summon the Sylpheed!" Out of nowhere, the Sylpheed sped towards her. Leaping into the air, the unit attached itself to her flawlessly and rocketed her off the roof and back towards Hiryu. Everyone waved until she was gone from sight.

Gunji was the first to speak. "This is a huge mistake, you know."

"Uh-huh!"

"You bet."

"Without a doubt."

Hokaze spoke. "But she is convinced of it, so I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get back to work. I have to see a man about a battery."

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 219 DAYS**

End Notes

Mahoro really seemed to have gotten Minawa into school quickly, so I guessed that Vesper can truly pull those strings, but I was also aware that they would be exceptionally suspect of it all. I mean, a hated organization (and, if you read the manga, the ties are much closer than one suspected between Management and Vesper) and this falls into your lap. Wouldn't you be suspicious?

It always bothered me that Vesper didn't monitor the situation closer, just like those vague promises from Matthew that Mahoro could be helped. I have also decided to adhere to some aspects of the manga over the anime, so the reference to sisters (note plural) is when Mahoro first told the Homeroom Investigation Committee about her past (that second sister became Nanami, who was initially used to lure Suguru to the church where Professor Metherius gave Mahoro her savage beating in the manga).

The vague reference to "another escapee" also comes from the manga. In the climatic (and seldom-read) Book 8, when Mahoro is destroyed, Professor Hokaze taps into Minawa's power to not only shut down the island defenses of Management, but free all the trapped souls there (and Minawa reunites with 369).

The escapee appears to have been Hokaze himself, but it is such a vague reference, it can be easily overlooked.

As to the coffee, I knew a guy who made coffee just like that. The entire coffee incident is based on him and his near-anal approach to coffee. This is where I came up with the First Rule of Coffee: "If you don't drink it, don't make it." I knew a lot of people who did it all wrong, but they paled next to someone who knew how to make coffee, but chose this Oil Pan Sludge results.

Kopi Luwak is the infamous Monkey Poop coffee. It actually comes from the Asian Palm Civet of Sumatra and the beans, with a rather hard outer shell, pass through the digestive tract intact, where gatherers collect the beans and brew it up. At $50 a cup, it had better be good!

Do I have to explain a 007 Clause? (License to Kill).

Now, just when I got everything where I wanted it, Gainan and TBS go ahead and released the Mahoromatic OVA, "Tadaima Okaeri". Now, they have 'borrowed' my idea of these 'In-Between Days' (as the events take place starting October 21st), and therein lies the problem.

In my world, Minawa does not show up until December 8th (the manga version); in their anime world, she shows up October 4th, so by the time this OVA story begins, she has only been there about two-plus weeks. Now, this puts a lot of problem wrinkles into their world, so I have decided to float along with it. The timeline is now so vague, I guess it means nothing.

Oh, and that new story starts at Day 270, about three days after the Pi Deal Alpha incident.


	17. Chapter 17 Wheel of Fortune Cookies

"Wheel of Fortune Cookies"

by Furor Scribendi

2009 Scribendi Productions

December 15th

The mood at the Hunan House was rather festive. Everyone was there, led by Chizo. It was a new restaurant in town, so the Oe family just had to check it out. And since they were celebrating Minawa's surviving her first week at a new school, they also feted her.

Dinner was concluded and everyone was debating whether or not to go for dessert, while they were discussing other matters. Mahoro smiled. At least Shikijo-sensei isn't here to embarrass us, while she orders another huge stein of beer for herself, she thought. Mahoro grimaced as she imagined Shikijo, a beer in each hand, flopping her enormous white radishes atop Suguru's head while chortling for another refill.

Hokey was running his finger around his plate in the hot sauce and licking off of it. "Hoo, boy. This stuff burns going in, so it's gonna burn coming out!"

"Hokey!" chided Taso. "That caliber of talk may be OK at home, which it isn't, but we are out in public. Please conduct yourself a bit better."

Chizo stared at a single black bean on her plate. Rin and Miyuki stared along with her at it. Chizo was deep in thought while her two compatriots had a more detached look.

"This is the famous Flaming Hot Black Pepper of Burning Death, right?" Rin poked at it with her chopstick, like it was a snake, ready to attack.

"I have heard that some people went insane after eating it," mulled Miyuki, as she began to pour cup after cup of tea, arranging them in a semi-circle about the top of her plate.

Rin slid in close. "You know you want it. It's calling to you. 'Chizo. Chiiiiiiizooooooooo. Chizo, I am here. What are you waiting for? Are you……afraid? Neener, neener, neener!'" She held out one chopstick at the pepper, like it was a samurai sword. "I wouldn't take that kind of malarkey from a mere Death Pepper. Death Pepper? Hah! It doesn't even slow them down!"

Miyuki came in from the other side. "Death Pepper, one; Chizo, nil."

Slowly, everyone's attention was drawn to Chizo and the Pepper. If Chizo was aware of the attention, she did not acknowledge it. She picked up her chopstick and grasped the pepper firmly. Viewing it with a touch of distain, she popped it into her mouth and gulped it down, then held for a moment.

"I don't know what people are talking about. It's not like……….guh!" Chizo froze, her mouth dropping open, eyes wide as saucers, as if something horrible had grabbed hold of her. She stuck out her tongue.

"BLARGH! Gy gunge! Gy gunge!" She pointed at her extended tongue while her face flushed. She grabbed the first cup of tea and slammed it down, then snatched up a napkin and wiped her tongue down. She grabbed another cup of tea and wiped again. She did this five times. Tears were streaming down her face.

Hokey and Taso looked on with amusement. "Well, no one can say she isn't brave," said Hokey, watching his daughter flail about.

"Or foolish," commented Taso.

The waiter, sensing the distress, came up with a piece of bread and laid it on her exposed tongue. He shook his head 'no'. "Many people have tried to overcome the Flaming Hot Black Pepper of Burning Death. None have succeeded. This should absorb any excess pepper juice and reduce the pain."

Mahoro smiled and turned to Taso. "I would like to thank you for bringing us along. It was very nice of you to do so."

Taso dipped her head in acknowledgement of the statement. "Well, we have been meaning to check this place out for a while and when Chizo told us of Minawa's week at school, we felt we should do something."

"I am curious, though," commented Suguru. "I mean, it's really close to Christmas and Hunan is not noted for being a yuletide season food."

"That's right." Hokey leaned over towards them. "But good food knows no season or reason. If the time is right, then the calendar is just a sheet of paper with numbers on it. So, who's up for dessert?"

Kawahara waved them off. "As much as I would like to, I am totally stuffed, so I'll just have a bit more tea, but thank you for asking."

Hamaji turned to Minawa. He had been sitting next to her the entire evening. "Would you like some…..dessert, Minawa? I am sure they have something lovely to share…I mean, that you could have!"

"Well, I don't know." Minawa squeaked out her reply. Hamaji could barely hear it and he was right next to her.

The waiter, making sure that Chizo was fine, turned to Hokey. "Would you like to see the dessert menu, sir?"

"Yes, please bring it over." A few menus were retrieved and they began to pour over it.

"Now, we have a couple of specials and…." Before the waiter could continue, Chizo was yanking on his sleeve.

"Green tea ice cream, please? Please?" Chizo was pleading, her tongue unable to go back in. The waiter nodded and disappeared. Moments later, a bowl of ice cream was in front of her. Chizo put her face into the bowl and laid her tongue on the frozen treat.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Her eyes rolled into her head.

"I think the ice cream is melting," mused Rin.

"Wow! That really is Burning Death. How hot is her tongue?" said Miyuki.

The waiter continued. "Our specials today include a lemoncello torte; the Tokyo Tower, which is a seven-layer chocolate chocolate cake and a bread pudding."

Before anyone could speak, Hokey decided for them all. "We will have an order of the Dessert Sampler Deluxe. And 10 forks." He handed the menu back to the waiter.

"Very good." The waiter then left.

"Hokey! I didn't get a chance to read it," said Taso.

"You didn't need to. The Deluxe has a Tiramisu, Lava Chocolate, a fruit torte, a raspberry cheesecake, a Crème Brulee and an ice cream. The ice cream has been covered." He pointed to a much-relieved Chizo. "And since most folks will want just a bite or two, everyone gets a bit of it all."

The waiter returned with the desserts. Hamaji made a request that the Tiramisu be in front of them. Rin turned to Miyuki and whispered. "I think our little Hamaji has a thing for Minawa."

Miyuki whispered back. "I have to agree. I mean, of all the desserts offered, he selects the romantic one."

Minawa stared at the dessert, uncertain what to do. She had never seen anything so delicate and exquisite. "I…I'm not hungry anymore," she said, breathlessly.

"Just a tiny taste? It's really delicious." Hamaji gave her a fork.

Minawa took the fork and placed it above the cake, getting ready to take the smallest piece possible. Hamaji then took her hand and also grasped the fork. Minawa gasped and looked up at him. Hamaji position the fork a little farther in, so she had a better piece of the treat. He cut the cake with her and brought it up to her mouth.

She opened up just a tiny bit and it went in. She shuddered and dropped the fork, small tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

Hamaji reacted. "Are you OK? Did I stab you with the fork? I didn't mean to hurt you and..."

"This dessert….it's so…tasty. I've never had anything like it. May I have a little more, please?" Hamaji put the fork back into her hand and held it as they sliced off another sample for her.

Hokey and Taso looked over at them, Taso laying her head on Hokey's shoulder. "It's been a long time since I've seen First Love," she whispered. Everyone else made do with their desserts, allowing Hamaji and Minawa a moment together.

Mahoro tasted everything. She was already working over in her mind how to make these desserts and make them better for at home. The Lava Chocolate had her intrigued, as she puzzled out a way to really make it flow like lava when it was cut into.

Soon, all the desserts were gone and Chizo was feeling better. She put her right hand over her heart and raised her left hand. "I swear by the honor of Hattori Hanzo that I will never EVER eat another Flaming Hot Black Pepper of Burning Death for as long as I live."

The waiter came by to remove all the dishes. Hokey rubbed his hands together. "Now comes the fun part of the meal…..fortune cookies!"

"Fortune cookies! Hooray!" Chizo cheered back. "Lovely, tasty fortune cookies with lovely, tasty fortunes."

"Don't forget about the winning lottery numbers on the back," mentioned Taso.

"Hah!" snorted Kawahara. "More like losing lottery numbers. If you have those numbers, you can be assured NOT to pick 'em!"

Miyuki leaned over to him. "So, you are saying it's all bunk?"

Kawahara slurped down another tea. "Pretty much so, and those fortunes! I could come up with better." He thumped his chest with his fist as he cleared his throat. "Allow me. Ahem." He placed his left hand over his heart and lifted his right arm into the air, dipping his head slightly. Then he raised his eyes skyward, lost in the artistic moment.

"Feeling down…and falling down…are the same thing."

"To have a friend, you must…be a friend."

"Loving the people I know allows me to know the people I love."

"Do or do not…there is no try."

"When all else fails…read the instructions." He put his hands on the table. "Is that pretty close to the mark? Perhaps I should be a fortune cookie writer. They really need the help." He put his finger on his chin and mulled the point. Rin threw her napkin at him.

Minawa clapped. Hamaji leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Don't applaud; it merely encourages him. He'll start to do his 'Highway Haiku' and we'll ALL be in trouble."

"Ahhh, my fans. Perhaps I should do my Highway Haiku." Hamaji grimaced as Kawahara's finger went into the air. "I have been struck by brilliance. Sheer brilliance!" A few more napkins were thrown at him. "I will do Fortune Cookie Haiku. 'This lovely dinner/When it is all said and done/It still makes you fart.' Can I say 'fart'?" Kawahara looked around for some encouragement.

"You already did," commented Suguru, as Miyuki rubbed her forehead.

"We can't take these guys ANYWHERE!" she said.

A basket was settled in front of them, full of the cookies. Hokey quickly snatched it away. "This will be passed around so we don't have a pell-mell rush for it and there will be broken cookies everywhere." He presented the basket first to Taso, who selected hers and then took the basket to pass it from person to person. Everyone picked.

When it got to Minawa, she stared at it. "What to I do?" she asked of Hamaji.

Holding the basket, he said "Just select one that looks good to you." She delicately withdrew one and Hamaji sent the basket on its way.

When everyone had their cookies, Hokey held his up. "Now, it's time!" and he popped it whole into his mouth. Mahoro gaped on.

"Shouldn't you take the fortune out before you eat the cookie?"

He thought for a moment. "Don't need to." And without hesitation, he chomped down on it and swallowed it without a second thought. Taso looked sour and sighed. Obviously, this had happened numerous times before.

Minawa snapped her cookie in half and saw nothing. Hamaji reacted. "You…you can have mine, Minawa!" and offered her his untouched cookie.

"No, that's OK, I'll be fine." She took a bite and discovered that her fortune had folded in onto itself and was completely on one side of the cookie. She withdrew it and read it. "A new life awaits you."

"How sweet," commented Hamaji and he opened his fortune. He looked at it and blanched.

"What does it say?" asked Kawahara. "'You will go on a long voyage.', 'Time and tide wait for no man.', 'A bird in the hand spoils the broth.'"

Hamaji looked stunned as Kawahara took the fortune and read it. "A new life awaits….you…" Minawa looked up at Hamaji, who panicked.

"I'm sure these things happen all the time, right? Right, everyone? Duplicates? I mean, what do your fortunes say?" He looked around to everyone, eyes bugging out.

Chizo started. "Friends are the best treasures."

Then came Rin. "Someday is not on the calendar."

Next was Miyuki. "Any dream can be achieved with dedication."

Then was Taso. "'Balance is the key to living'. Wait. I can probably read Hokey's." She placed her head on his stomach. "Hmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmm…. There's no fool like an old fool." Everyone had a good laugh at that one, except Minawa.

Kawahara read his. "Feeling down…and falling down…" More napkins were thrown at him. "OK, OK! He who takes no chances gains nothing."

Suguru looked at his. "A rainbow follows even the darkest storm."

Mahoro gazed at hers. It hurt her to read it, but she had to. "Live each day as though it was your last."

Kawahara rubbed his chin. "That seems a touch depressing. Allow me." He placed his hand over the fortune and made a series of bizarre hand gestures while mumbling nonsense. "Yakisoba. Kimchee. Oniguri. Sake. I command this fortune to change! POOF! So, let's look at it now." He took it from Mahoro and read it. "Live each day to its fullest. That's a whole lot better." He pulled out a pen and rewrote it.

Mahoro took the fortune back from him. She did feel a bit better about it. She did not need to be reminded of that upcoming day.

"Would you look at these lottery numbers? I mean, they stink!" commented Suguru. "I have 24, 27 and 28. As if they ever pick in a cluster like that!"

Chizo placed her slip between her palms and pressed hard. "I KNOW these are good numbers. Hawai'i, here I come!"

Hamaji turned to Minawa. "What of your numbers? What are they?"

She looked at her slip. "Well, I have a three, an eight, a nine, a 17, a….."

Kawahara looked up. "You have what?" He reached over the table to yank the slip from Minawa. "Oh. Oh, oh, oh! This is not good. Not good at all. This should be burned to stop the bad fortune from coming."

Hamaji took the slip back and gave it to Minawa. "For someone who doesn't believe in winning numbers, you are acting very odd," he said to Kawahara.

Hokey spoke up. "Even though whatever power numbers have is whatever we give to them, some seem to have troubles follow them around. Eight, nine and three are just such numbers. Would it be better if I pronounce it correctly? Ya-ku-sa?" Hokey turned to Minawa. "At the start of the year, I would visit the nearest shrine and request intervention to blunt such potential unhappiness. No one needs this sword of Damocles hovering over their head."

Minawa looked down at the numbers and started to feel funny. Was it more bad luck?

Taso stepped in. "Enough with the unpleasantries. We all had a wonderful dinner and a fabulous dessert and nothing is going to change that. Besides numbers are numbers. Friday the 13th is no more or less ominous than March the 15th."

Hokey raised a finger. "I beg to differ. March 15th is going to be a treat for the government."

"Thank you for the treat!" everyone chimed in.

With the bill paid, Minawa went up to Mahoro and grasped her hand. "I want to thank you, big sister, for this. I had a wonderful time." She held Mahoro close.

"You are welcome, Minawa." Although no one could see, one of Minawa's eyes had turned into a small calibration monitor and was dispatching information. She couldn't hold Mahoro forever, but she would send whatever she could.

As they left the building, sitting across the way, watching them all, was 227. He spoke on a phone. "Yes, Professor. I got notification that 370 was sending some preliminary data out. You should be getting it now. No, everything is fine. Things are going according to plan. I will report later." Closing the phone, he saw Hamaji catching Minawa as she tripped over something, he making no big deal about the whole thing, she apologetic about it all. "Yes, professor, things are going according to plan." 227 smiled as he pulled on his chin, and then made another call.

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 217 DAYS**

End Notes

When I decided to take on these In-Between Days tales, I was a bit appalled as to how little I had of Minawa. I know, many fans consider her a bit of a millstone, but there she is and you can't avoid her the entire time. I mean, she is present from December 8th to April 8th and I am not going to ignore 120 or so days (we can discuss Mahoro's last day at a later time, OK?)

Hokey and Taso are my entries into this. We never see Chizo's parents at all, either in the manga or anime and Rin's parent (just Dad shows up) is only seen in the manga, so I have a clean slate upon which to work.

'Highway Haiku' is mine. When you drive the Interstate, it is long and boring. What else can you do? I decided to do haiku (as it is simple poetry. I mean, 5-7-5?) to while away the monstrous hours. I have about 50 verses of this, my views of this God-forsaken strip of road that runs from tedium to apathy and back again.

I also will not get into a discussion as to what defines 'haiku'. I had a person take me to task that I wasn't really doing haiku, but senryū, which is a poem that is written in a similar form and emphasizes irony, satire, humor, and human foibles rather than seasons. Yes, a REAL haiku traditionally contains a kigo, a defined word or phrase which symbolizes or implies the season alluded to in the poem. One reason I hate poetry.

"Feeling down…" is real poetry. Lana Wood is Natalie Wood's younger sister. You saw her getting flung out of a window in the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever." She had a pictorial in Playboy (April 1971) where some of her poetry was showcased. This is another reason why I hate poetry. It was bad, even by poetry standards.

Just as we have the Dead Man's Hand in poker (two aces and two eights with the fifth card a 10 of diamonds), there is a card game they play in Japan, Oicho-Kabu, (played with hanafuda or kabufuda cards). The hand of eight, nine and three is particularly hard to win with and is considered very bad luck indeed should you get it. This is the reason the Yakuza took the hand as their name.

Now, with the arrival of the OVA, one sees Minawa in action, when she is attacked by the Tachikomas. Her eyes flash in a kind of shift-over to attack mode (much like when Mahoro's irises open wider when she slips into combat mode) and her agility is without equal. Not a single trace of clumsiness or hesitation, even though her actions are defensive only. It is as if she has no 'powers' to attack (then what good ARE these cyborgs? Whose idea what this, anyway?)


	18. Chapter 18 Fan Service

"Fan Service"

by Furor Scribendi

2010 Scribendi Productions

December 28th

It was Tuesday night. With dinner done and the dishes tended to, it was time for some TV. Considering what day of the week it was, that meant Suguru was going to be watching his Evening of Anime. Lumped under the broad heading of Animeniacs Anonymous, they presented a variety of shows. The current block included Rurouni Kenchin, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon.

Mahoro was a bit surprised as to why he watched a show like Sailor Moon, as it was in rather direct opposition to the other shows. Those were filled with action and fighting and giant robots. But Sailor Moon seemed almost girlish in its approach. OK, they did dress in rather revealing styles, but nothing he couldn't see out on the streets. And she did find herself being drawn into the storyline as well.

Even Minawa seemed to enjoy some of those shows, although Evangelion made her feel out of sorts. Perhaps it was the sense of helplessness that pained her.

However, this night was going to be different. It was a special evening treat.

On screen, there was a man and a woman, acting as host. He was dressed casually, but she had on a top that was just a bit too small, so it really showed off her figure. Mahoro was mildly put off by this. No wonder her words to Suguru about ecchi had no meaning, when he was bombarded every day with these images. The hostess chirped up

"Greetings and welcome to Animeniacs Anonymous and Fanime! I am Sabi, one half of your hosting team. Yes, as many of you know, we had a competition, where we wanted you, the fans, to give us a fan-made anime short, or FANIME."

He came right in. "And I am Wabi, the better half. Now, it was a real dogfight. Between stunning ideas and top-shelf computer programs for some, we had a very hard time deciding who would even make it to this show, much less work through all the rounds! We laughed, we cried, we ate a lot of pizza."

Sabi smirked as she grasped his belly. "Well, YOU ate a lot of pizza."

Wabi looked hurt. "You know, the camera adds 10 pounds!"

"So how many cameras do we have on you, 15?" Wabi grimaced in indignation.

Sabi continued. "If you want to see all of the submissions, you can go to our website at .net/fanime and lose a lot of days. We had over 5000 entries!" She started to count on her fingers, and then started to count on her co-host's fingers. He popped off a shoe to aid in her counting efforts, but they soon gave up.

"Now, what you will be seeing are not only the best of the best, but some that we enjoyed a great deal as well. The Grand Prize Winner is getting a gift certificate to Anime Galaxy, the largest anime store in existence and a proud sponsor of this contest."

"Yes!" Wabi really perked up. "They have over 10,000 titles in stock, as well as manga, merchandise and other items for your anime needs." He pointed right at the camera. "How otaku are you? And what is the gift certificate for? 100,000 yen worth of stuff!" Sabi presented a gigantic fake check for 100,000 yen, clobbering Wabi in the process and knocking him to the floor.

Suguru whistled. "Boy, that is a lot of DVDs to get."

Mahoro brought over a tray with a teapot and three cups, and poured into them. "Even if we stated they are costing 2000 yen a disk, that is still 50 disks."

"And if you go to the discount bin, one could get even more!" Suguru's eyes sparkled at the thought. "And they have an on-line catalog that gives you even even more off, so you could get even even even more!"

Minawa put a finger on her chin as she looked about the house, trying to imagine where one would store that many items. The show continued.

"Now, just because yours didn't make it to the show, it doesn't mean your submission was terrible…" began Sabi.

"No, of course not. It meant that yours….SUCKED!" Wabi got right into the camera to rant and pant, so all you could see was a distorted face and his finger jabbing at you, his breath fogging up the lens. "It! Was! Horrible!" Sabi had to pull him back and plunk him into a nearby seat, then picked up the gigantic check, holding it like a weapon.

"Must I discipline you?" She looked most displeased.

Wabi was subdued. "I'll be good. Can I have some pizza?" Sabi clobbered him with the check again and sent him sprawling.

"You are making me lose time for all these fabulous segments we have at the ready, like this one from the Hitachiin Twins from Bunkyo."

It was a kind of safety and hygiene film, but it was about 'The Care and Feeding of Your Lightsaber.'

It showed a rather fresh-faced Jedi, done in chibi style, with his light saber, as the serious narrator intoned about how the light saber was not a toy.

"You must exercise caution when using your light saber." The Jedi turned on his saber and proceed to slice everyone and everything in half. "Oooops. That is going to leave a mark," said the narrator.

Suguru tried to hold himself in, but soon was beside himself with laughter, as this Jedi was going from bad to worse.

Mahoro watched, but just did not see the humor in it all, as chaos and mayhem reigned. Of all the things she was taught, humor was something that escaped her. What was so funny about someone getting hit in the face with a cream pie or slipping on a banana peel? And why was getting struck in the groin so hysterical? Whenever Suguru or his friends saw something like that, they could not stop laughing.

The clip ended with the Jedi failing to turn off his lightsaber, but holstering it and slicing himself in half. A cranky janitor showed up and swept all the carnage off the screen, as the narrator intoned, "Next Lesson: How Not to Be Seen."

Back in the studio, Sabi was holding a manual in one hand while carelessly holding a light saber in the other. Half of Wabi could be seen. "Hmm…" she said. "I guess you were right."

Looking at the camera, Wabi spoke. "Well, we were right about this next clip. It comes from the enigmatic Zwaa from Ryobi and it is 'Patrick, the Disgruntled Unicorn.' I should be disgruntled." He looked at Sabi with a sour expression.

Patrick was an anthropomorphized unicorn with a rather flat cone horn at where the hairline would be. He was at the post office, grumbling about how long everything was taking and that the line was not moving at all.

The mumbling dialogue reminded Mahoro of a member of the support team back in Vesper days. He kept up a constant patter, as he complained about everything. He was an excellent worker and did his job without fail, but his cynical nature and grousing was a source of entertainment for some.

As the evening went along, Mahoro saw a stunning variety of animes. Some were incredibly artistic in their approach; others were not much more than stick figures on white paper, but all had a certain quality about them that made them appealing. She would look over to Minawa every so often, but she had no reaction to any of it.

She thought about asking her what she had seen, but was concerned that it might come off as too inquisitory, so she decided to wait until Minawa said something about it.

After one particular intriguing tale, about the retelling of the Sisyphus legend, done in a brush-line method, Mahoro turned to Suguru. "You know, you could do something just as well as what I have seen here."

Suguru looked over at her slowly. "Do you think so? I mean, five minutes of screen time could take five weeks to produce, and you have to come up with something knockout in that brief time. That is hard in and of itself. Plus, you have to try and find the time to be able to do it. And what about the software? I mean, hand drawings? I might as well be a monk, drawing by candlelight."

"That is all true," commented Mahoro. "But most standard-length cartoons come in at just seven minutes and there are some positively classic ones out there. I do not see why you can't do the same with anime and not have it take that long to do. And from what I have seen, some appear to have taken as long to make as the piece itself took to run."

"But Big Sister, what would he do it on?" They both looked over to her as she spoke. "I mean, I couldn't think of anything like that to do."

"I think you could, Minawa," offered Suguru. "I think that you are really more talented than you give yourself credit for. All you really have to do is just believe in yourself." Minawa got an odd look on her face, as if no one had ever put that idea into her head.

With the commercial break over, the show resumed, Wabi talking. "Again, a reminder to visit our website, to see all the submissions, including some which we just could not air." Wabi put up a stern finger. "You have to understand that copyright infringement is a serious problem." As he spoke, images of other copyrighted characters were shown at the bottom of the screen.

Sabi did her best to shoo them away, but they just wouldn't go. Wabi continued. "Now, what this really means is that we cannot show them here in this forum, along with other things as well." He then coughed into his hand. "SMUT! However, this next one coming up managed to squeeze under the wire, after a lot of deliberation."

"Yes, it certainly was deliberated," huffed Sabi. "I just do not know what is so fascinating about the subject matter."

"It's a guy thing. From Suguru Misato of Hiryu, here is 'To BE or Not to BE.'" Wabi turned to Sabi. "It IS a witty title." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Minawa's jaw dropped when she heard Suguru's name. Suguru sputtered tea all over himself. "I thought you said you couldn't find the time!" chided Mahoro.

Suguru looked panicky as the opening titles came up. Before he could say a word, the short began.

A box was withdrawn from underneath the bed, showing the name Delta Omega Mu Epsilon. A reverse shot showed a young lady, snickering with glee, removing the machine from its box.

Mahoro stood up. It was a very fine rendition of her. She did not know what to do: chastise Surugu for this story or praise him for his artistic merit. She began to pant as the mortifying details of that night began to unfold. Minawa also stared on, watching the events occur.

The machine was withdrawn from the box just as a Shikijo-type burst from the closet. She happened to be bustier than in real life and her outfit was very revealing. Rather than try and use voices, it was odd sounds and subtitles beneath.

Shikijo wrested the machine from Mahoro's hands as Mahoro fell backwards and turned the machine on. It began working, attaching itself to Shikijo's chest. Mahoro tried to free Shikijo from it, but by the time she managed that, it was far too late. Mahoro's hair horns began flapping as this Shikijo was drawn with blimp-sized breasts. Then, a Suguru-type came in and he was attacked, again showing the results of it.

Guri-chan came in and the dog was chased away by the machine. Shikijo got a glint in her eye as she went berserk, running around the room, Suguru in tow, flaunting her new-found femininity. The anime Mahoro was building up in anger and gave the machine a massive karate chop, cleaving it in half and causing a gigantic explosion, which covered everyone in dirt. All one could see was the whites of their eyes, blinking in stunned surprise.

Back at the studio Wabi was pitched over in laughter. Through their microphones, one could hear the studio crew laughing as well. Even Sabi politely clapped.

"As you can tell, this went over really big…I mean, it was very popular with the male portion of the staff." One could not tell if Sabi was really upset or playing upset.

Wabi managed to regain his composure. "Yes, and, ha ha ha ha, because of this…" He wiped a tear from his eye as he snickered some more. "…because of this, Misato-kun is getting a Special Jury Award. He will receive a coupon good for TWO DVDs at Anime Galaxy." Wabi held up two fingers, thrusting them into the camera." One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. Look, this made our boss laugh and he only laughs at things like someone getting hit in the crotch with a football. I do not see what is so…"

Suddenly, a football came out of nowhere and smacked Wabi in the crotch. He went down while Sabi laughed hysterically. "Say, he IS right; that is so, so funny!"

Mahoro managed to stagger over to the remote and turn off the set. What could she do? The comments from the hosts were most flattering but the subject matter. The subject matter! She turned to Suguru, who was looking terrified.

"Big Sister, did that really happen to you?" Mahoro looked over to Minawa, who was perplexed on the whole matter. Before anyone could respond, the phone rang. They continued to stare at one another as it rang on through to the answering machine.

"Hey, this is Kawahara. How did you ever get that anime contribution past Mahoro? Well, in any case, the jig is now up. I'll remember to bake a file with a cake in it for you. When will be visiting hours? Later."

Mahoro turned ever so slowly to Suguru as the phone rang again. "This is Chizo. Mahoro may be right. Dirty thoughts are bad, but this one was really, really funny. See you at school. Maybe."

Mahoro felt herself turning gray. How many people watched this show that knew her? The phone rang a third time. "Oooooooooooh! Suguru-kuuuuuuuuun…..I never knew what a wicked, wicked mind you possessed. I certainly can't wait for school. I'll be waiting." A big kiss was then left for him.

Suguru reddened deeply. There was no mistaking the dulcet tones of Shikijo, but she was sounding more sinuous than normal. Mahoro grabbed a nearby cup of tea and drained it.

"Big sister, are you….all right?" Minawa was getting nervous, as Mahoro reacted in such an unpredictable way, there was uncertainty as to what she might do.

"Mahoro, I had no idea that it was going to be that…that popular of a segment. I…..I let you down, didn't I?" Suguru collapsed in on himself. All he wanted to do was tell a funny story. He thought it was very funny. Well, after the fact. At the time, he was mortified and was concerned he would have to take his breasts to school with him. He looked up and saw Mahoro's shoulders heaving.

Suguru felt worse. He made Mahoro cry. What kind of a cruel monster was he to treat her in such a…then, an odd sound came for her.

Mahoro was laughing. She was really laughing. Suguru stared on and Mahoro had a tremendous laughing fit. She held her sides as she cackled with glee. Even Minawa was amazed at this reaction. Neither knew what to do about it. It was easy to deal with anger, which was to run and hide, but what to do about this, a laugh attack?

Mahoro fumbled for the remote and turned the set back on. The TV was showing a segment where a professor was trying to explain the humor inherent in pie throwing. Suguru could not hear it, as Mahoro was really laughing. She finally sat down and wiped the tears from her eyes, as she did some finish-up chuckling.

"So…so…you're not mad?" ventured Suguru.

"Oh, I am hopelessly livid. I cannot even begin to tell you how terribly upset I am. I don't think I have ever been THIS angry. But I realized something." Mahoro composed herself and looked over to Suguru. Minawa was behind her, uncertain as to what she would say and uncertain as to how Mahoro might treat this particular incident.

"As you know, dirty thoughts are bad and I certainly did not wish to relive the events of that embarrassing evening. However, I discovered something: you took the time to make a little video with ME in it. You were thinking of me the entire time you were putting this together. I am, in a sense, immortalized, and people will be speaking of this for some time to come.

"It's not as nice as that wonderful scarf you knitted for me, but the fact that you had me under consideration is a kind and thoughtful gesture. And if you ever do anything like this again…." Mahoro spun about and pointed a very stern finger at Suguru. "…well, let's just say that maybe it would be better for you to get sliced in half by your errant lightsaber."

Mahoro then returned to her smiling demeanor. "Now, who wants some more tea?"

**MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 175 DAYS**

End Notes

This one was problematic, as I needed sufficient time for Suguru to be able to do his little caper, especially considering the subject of his anime, and for it to get into a contest for consideration. But if I wait any later, then I start crashing into other storylines.

2000 yen a disk is $20, which is not all that far off the mark. Sure, you could go to some stores and see them for $30. When I was at LA AX, I saw disks going for $40 and $50 each, but that is a kind of captive audience. I also saw disks going for as low as $3, so it's just an average.

Sabi and Wabi are not real names, but Japanese terms, much like if we called someone "Streaker" and "Flasher", (as they did in "xxxHolic" for Yuuko's two assistants) but not as graphic.

Based on G4's X-Play hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, 'sabi' is a term the Japanese use to describe the beautiful patina a work of copper has attained or a rock covered with moss and lichen. 'Wabi' is a flawed detail that creates an elegant whole, like a prized teacup with a crack that adds to its charm. Nice terms, doncha think?

OK, so sue me for the Hitachiin Twins. It was easy! Their Jedi/Lightsaber short is one that I saw at a few years ago. It was far more ridiculous and was live action as well, so I just converted it to anime.

"Patrick the Disgruntled Unicorn" is a manga short that my daughter drew and continues to draw. Very funny stuff. She is now attempting her first multi-chapter epic manga that is about "Patrick", but she won't let me help with the plotting. What's odd is that no one has ever tumbled to the fact that the unicorn is me. Such is fame.


End file.
